Reno, Nevada police have confirmed that there is an active shooter situation in which a shooter was firing from an elevated position into downtown Reno. [...]
The post Active Shooter Situation in Reno, Nevada: Shooter Firing from Elevated Position appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
Having emergency water storage is extremely vital, especially in times of distress. Scroll down and find out the important points you need to consider when storing water!
One interesting fact about the human body is that it is made of roughly 70% water. Therefore, it is essential to our physiology to have enough fluid in our body. Water is a necessity that we can’t afford to lose. There are emergency situations where we have to live without running water. It may be because of an unforeseen natural disaster such as earthquakes, flood, and whatnot. In the event of a crisis, some people tend to buy bottled waters, but there are other feasible alternatives. Emergency water storage is the best workable option and is a life saver. Listed below are tips on how to store and preserve water properly. Read. Learn. Survive.
You need to choose the suitable water containers. There are several types of containers you can use in such as food-grade water containers, plastic soft drink bottles, glass containers, and stainless steel tanks if you want to collect rainwater. Be sure to clean and disinfect containers first before storing water in it. Learn more about water containers for long-term storage here.
There’s no need to add anything if you’re using tap water or if it is already treated commercially. But if it’s from a well or from a public place, you have to make sure it is safe to drink before storing it. You can use chlorine, iodine, and calcium hypochlorite. Check out the link for more info in making your water safe in a survival situation.
Aluminum foil can help catch food and water in a survival situation. 11 Uncommon Uses For Aluminum Foil https://t.co/SOYJ5bS32s
— Survival Life (@SurvivalLF) October 31, 2017
It is important to store your water in a cool, dry, and dark place where it won’t be exposed to sunlight. UV rays have an effect on containers and chlorine as well. Where you keep your water is significant for emergency preparedness.
It is necessary to replace stored water after 6 months, especially homemade stored water. This is to avoid any contaminants that can build up inside the bottle over a long period of time.
The water you’re going to store is not only for drinking. There are other uses of water such as bathing and cleaning cookware and kitchen utensils. Of course, we also need to be mindful of our hygiene. Look for other sources of water like melted ice cubes, water from canned goods, and water from specific trees and plants. Learn more about other water sources here.
Watch this video from EmergencyFoodWarehouse.com for more info about emergency water storage :
Living without clean, potable water is absolutely devastating. We might find ourselves trapped in an irreversible death spiral if we fail to have access to drinkable water in times of crisis. Hydration and sanitation are two important factors we need to consider all the time. So as a prepper, we must ALWAYS have a solid emergency water storage plan in order to survive a catastrophic event. Follow the steps above and start storing water now!
Do you know other emergency water storage tips? We would like to about it. Share it with us in the comments below!
UP NEXT: 7 Helpful Tips from Seasoned Preppers
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The Supreme Court has yet again shown their disdain for gunowners, making way for more anti-gun governors to enact state bans on so-called assault weapons and open carry. [...]
The post Anti-Gun Supreme Court Screws Gun Owners Again: Refuses to Overturn ban on assault weapons and open-carry appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
We live in a much different time than the generations before us. It’s all around us…the constant reminder that our world as we know it could change. When I say change, I’m referring to the all too real possibility that our towns could turn into ghost towns. Streets once filled with moving vehicles, people walking or riding bikes…empty. Playgrounds filled with happy children…empty. Retail stores…empty. Movie theaters…empty. Sport stadiums….empty. Our towns become shells. Movies, such as “The Road”, portray the exact post apocalyptic environment I just described.
A heartbreaking story of a father and his young son setting out on their own in an post apocalyptic world. Darkened skies, smoke filled air, no clean water in sight, and everything from houses to businesses lay in ruins. They travel with very few possessions and barely any supplies at all. Along the way, they pick up whatever supplies they can to survive as they head out on a long journey toward the coast. The possibility that this could happen in our lifetime makes the story all that more heartbreaking.
There are so many reasons why our world could end up this way. Here are a few that come to mind:
Events such as these are reasons why we should always be prepared so that we may survive! In this article, I will discuss ways to do just that.
Of course, if living in a post apocalyptic world, 100 days of supplies will not last forever. However, this is a good start until you can become self sufficient. Consider the following items as part of your 100 day supply.
A well stocked first aid kit should always be among your supplies. Check out these articles from us here at Survival Life on how you can have the perfect first aid kit for yourself and your loved ones:
Believe it or not, people often overlook these necessary items when putting together they’re supplies:
Learning to hunt, fish, gather wild edible plants, garden, and setting traps for wild game are all skills that come in handy after your food supplies run out.
Also, learning how to purify water, build shelters, and start fires will deem extremely valuable in a extreme post apocalyptic survival situation.
Self defense is another skill everyone should learn to protect themselves and their loved ones. Also, learning what to do (or not do) around wild animals. Check out this article on great tips on how to avoid animal attacks.
In a post apocalyptic world, it will be hard to stay positive. However, try to maintain a positive outlook, if you can. It will make all the difference for you and those around you. Survival is 90% mental and if you think you can’t make it through, then you most likely will not. Fight the urge to give up and move forward. You are stronger than you think!
What are your thoughts on the possibility of living in a post apocalyptic world? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
The concept for the Designated Marksman Carbine or DMC has been around for awhile now, but not in the pure DMC form. Instead it was either
hopping up a 5.56mm to maximums, or dumbing down a larger cartridge so it could be shot effectively off-hand. To really capitalize on the Designated Marksman Carbine concept, I had to do it myself to ensure the spirit of the DMC was in play for my imagined needs. The Designated Marksman Rifle or DMR is a middle ground between a battle rifle and a sniper rifle.
By Doc Montana, a Contributing Author to SHTFBlog and SurvivalCache.com
It is usually a semiautomatic in the pattern of the M16 or AR15 rather than a bolt action hardstock version that could be mistaken for grandad’s hunt’n rifle. Almost. The removable box magazine options of the DMR allow a larger capacity than bolts, and the manual of arms is often nearly identical to the battle rifle like the M4A or the SOCOM 16.
The DMR is an accurate long distance shooter when compared to a battle rifle built with a 16-inch or shorter barrel. But compared to the 24-inch barreled sniper rifle, the DMR is a medium distance shooter with near-MOA accuracy out to 500 meters any day of the week and 800 meters on Sunday. But the DMR is not without it’s issues. First and foremost, it is yet another rifle to ruck around the battlefield. And second, it requires a DM or designated marksman to operate with it. A third issue that may or may not be of concern is that the DMR usually takes a different larger cartridge compared to the battle rifle with accompanying need for different mags, different bore brushes, and it is likely mounted with a heavy optic that prevents fast operation in close quarters.
Related: Review PWS MK214 Battle Rifle
Just as the DMR ran interference between the carbine and the sniper rifle, I saw a need in my personal preparation for something that closed the gap between the AR15 carbine, and the bolt action hunting (think sniper) rifle capable of reaching half a mile with enough energy to make the trip worthwhile. While the 55 grain .223 round can reliably touch targets at 700 yards, it won’t make much of a statement when it’s get there. Even if the 5.56mm bullet extracts its pound of flesh, its effectiveness is limited to flesh and not hide, leather, canvas, plastic, glass, wood, sheet metal, and especially not sheet metal. At 800 meters, the .223 bullet drops into double digit energy. That’s almost a 90% drop compared to the energy the .223 has at 100 yards and might even be less than a traditional .22 long rifle at 100 yards!
So while the need for a Designated Marksman Carbine seems obvious, I’ve found many of the off-the-shelf AR10 (.308 in an AR pattern) carbine rifles to be less reliable than I’ll tolerate. I don’t live on the gun range, and don’t imagine that a dark future will have covered bays or sunny days on the square range. Therefore, any AR10 in my preps will need to be above average and with hand-picked Designated Marksman Carbine components.
In a nutshell, the AR10 I built up started with a matched pair of Mega Arms upper and lower receivers with the Mega Arms nickel-boron finish. The receivers are named the Maten presumably for “Mega Arms Ten” instead of AR10. Umm. Whatever. I was hoping the Maten was some exotic jungle dwelling apex predator that captured prey at long distance.
The parts that matter include a single stage CMC drop-in flat-shoe trigger set at 3.5 pounds, and locked in place with anti-roll pins. An Aero Precision stainless steel 16” barrel with matching Aero Precision bolt with phosphate finish. The handguard is a smooth round aluminium beauty from Unique AR, a McCall, Idaho based ARtisan company that makes CNC artwork where a boring quad rail used to live. For a build like this Designated Marksman Carbine I wanted a smooth round handguard to allow for an unobstructed rest when on rough or non-level surfaces.
A rifle is only sighted in as well as it’s held level. A perfect vertical alignment between optic, barrel and gravity is imperative if you want to know with
certainty if the bullet will hit is mark. Since the optic is not affected by the pull of the earth, but the bullet is, sighting in a long gun means dialing in the intersection between crosshairs and bullet drop (or rise) while holding gravity as a constant. Like shooting a basketball towards a distant hoop, the arc of the projectile’s flight whether ball or bullet is only as precise as it’s vertical alignment with gravity. If a rifle is tilted, the arc is at an angle to the direct force of gravity so the accuracy is compromised. For close shots, the difference is minimal but still, the offset iron sights should be on target for a 45 degree counter-clockwise rifle rotation of the rifle.
Also Read: Survival Debate .308 vs. .223
Back to the round handguard, when a railed handguard is placed on a compromising surface, it either tugs the rifle in a rotational direction as it searches for stability, or balances precariously on a point causing the rifle to teeter back and forth. A round handguard can sit still on many surface shapes.
For those shots where a bipod is prefered, a bipod is available. Sitting out near the muzzle, it usually won’t interfere when not active, but the free-floating barrel allows the bipod to be at the furthest point away from the stock providing a rock-solid platform on such a short marksman sight radius.
Rounding out the other end of the Designated Marksman Carbine is a Magpul UBR or Utility Battle Rifle stock. What makes this an Unusual Buttstock 
Replacement (UBR?) is that the cheek weld remains fixed and only the shoulder pad section moves. The two benefits of this design are, first the position of face to sight (cheek weld) remains constant regardless of the position of the stock. And second, the lockup of the stock in any position absolutely rivals a fixed stock in solidity and quietness. Of course that does come with a bit of a weight increase, but it’s not as bad as it seems given that the UBR comes with its own buffer tube.
In the middle of muzzle and stock is a Leupold 3x-9x tactical scope on a Mark 2 integrated mount. The premise behind integrated or single stage mounts is that the scope has only one large point of contact with the rifle rather that dual scope rings. Dual rings can work great and are the staple of hunting rifles, but in that case the scope was not to be removed unless another sight-in session was possible. Integrated mounts like this Leupold maintain zero much better, and can cross rail lines between receiver and handguard if necessary without much if any loss in accuracy. In the case of this Designated Marksman Carbine, the Leupold mount resides completely on the upper receiver rail. If you scope has long eye relief you might have push it further down the barrel crossing real estate lines that can introduce alignment disputes.
Related: Review Windham Weaponry R18FSFSM-308
Since the point of the Designated Marksman Carbine is to manage the territory between 300 and 800 meters with enough dignity to bother with, the 
.308 Winchester seems a perfect round. It’s almost as common as the 7.62 NATO, and just as good. Plus it’s one of the most common rounds available surpassed only by the 9mm, .223/5.56, and perhaps the 12 gauge. In other words, don’t worry about availability. But if you want something smaller like a 6.5 whatever, or larger like a .33x, I won’t be able to share ammo with you. And likely nobody else will either. That said, I appreciate the finer nuances of the recent calibers and cartridges for long range shooting, but there is no room in the Designated Marksman Carbine concept for nuances.
Magpul is THE source for magazines, providing a mild choice of capacity and color for the AR10 platform. With cartridges as large at the .308, weight adds up literally twice as fast compared to the .223. A boxmag of twenty .308 rounds is about the same as a box of forty .223s. Further, the size of a container holding noticeable and anything longer will mess up the rifle’s ability to move freely when bipod or resting low. This is the reason that hunting rifles and most sniper pipes don’t use or even have so-called high cap mags. Accuracy trumps volume every time. However, the Designated Marksman Carbine is not a ridiculous choice for CQB and janitorial work, but it is near the threshold of overkill and awkwardness. So considering a more-than-20 .308 mag is not foolish, just not as practical as it might seem.
Cans, suppressors, silencers, regardless of what you call them, they are an excellent idea for many reasons. With a noticeable reduction in the loudness
of a rifle shot, there is also a reduction in stresses on the trigger pull from flinching and apprehension. Setting off a 60,000 PSI explosion inches from your face is bad enough, but a literally defining concussion is something to be avoided. The can on this Designated Marksman Carbine has a muzzle brake built in that really does noticeably reduce recoil to a pleasant level. With a recoil impulse up to four times more than a .223, while not scary for most shooters, it certainly is not enjoyable. Recoil is just a fact of life so lessening that fact is always a welcome change.
Mobility is a key to Designated Marksman Carbine success so building a go kit for the Designated Marksman Carbine was the next logical step. As a 
carbine with collapsible stock, the entire rifle and bipod minus the can easily fits into a 36-inch gun case, the 5.11 Vtac MK II Double Rifle Case in particular for this project. Thirty-six inches is just a yardstick. It’s barely noticeable in the big picture.
Rather than a tube or pouch-type gun case, the 5.11 Vtac MK II Double Rifle Case completely unzips along three of the four sides turning it into a 36” by 24” range mat. Not as good a as a dedicated mat, but far better than nothing and much better than a tarp.
Also Read: The Best Survival Carbine (Part 1)
Other additions to the Designated Marksman Carbine Go-Kit include a Leatherman MUT multitool for the AR platform, a wind speed meter, A Sig KILO
2400 Ballistic Rangefinder (with Applied Ballistics/SIG app on iPhone), a flashlight that can turn on in lowest mode (non-tactical), a camo baseball cap, and ear protection. And on the ear pro side, if possible I carry electronic ear muffs that can amplify the local sounds and take a radio input if needed. Regular earplugs/earmuffs block all sounds to a degree so it easy to miss things like someone sneaking up on you. Amplifying the sounds through electronic earmuffs is truly a bionic upgrade. They ate also a go-to for inhouse personal protection when you really want to hear those bumps in the night.
Another addition to the go package is a tarp of 3-D camo material. Behaving as a ghillie suit for a prone shooting position, the tarp is a quick and versatile concealment option that runs double duty as a hunting blind as well. Gearing up for when it matters is never inexpensive or flawless. Choices have to be made, and money must be spent. Moving forward on your preparation plan ends in action. All the best intents will be meaningless if there is no action before the deadline.
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Would you like to know how to escape handcuffs using a paper clip? This is a badass skill to learn and one that you might actually save your life someday!
Handcuffs are not the most complicated of locks and this trick is not really a big secret. In unfortunate times and if someone abducts you for a reason, this might come in useful. With that said, having a paper clip as one of your everyday carry items is not bad at all. If you want to learn this crafty skill, here are the steps to do that. But please, don’t use this to escape from the police if you don’t want to have any problem with the authorities.
Start by biting the small end of your paper clip so there’s a little dent at the top near the end. Unfold the side of the clip to make a little handle. This will be your makeshift key to free you from the handcuffs.
Has a tactical pen earned a place in your EDC bag? Tactical Pens: They “Ain’t” Just For Writing https://t.co/PogLAbCoON
— Survival Life (@SurvivalLF) October 9, 2017
Hold the clip between your third and fourth finger and guide the head of the paper clip through the keyhole. Use the meaty part of your thumb to turn the makeshift handle and free your hand.
Once you have one hand lose, it’s really easy to free the other hand as well. In just a few seconds, you’re free from the handcuffs. As a rule of thumb, go on the top edge of the keyhole on the thin side of the cuffs then turn toward the wide end of the cuffs to open them.
Other handcuffs have double-locking mechanism so picking that will be a little more difficult. To disengage the double-lock, turn the paper clip in the other direction until you hear a click, and then go ahead and open the cuffs the same way as instructed in the steps.
Check out this video by The King of Random on using a paper clip to pick a handcuff:
That’s all there is to it. Just remember whatever you do, never use this to try to escape from the police. It will only cause you more problems if you do. Come to think of it, staying out of trouble is always better, isn’t it? On the other hand, if you are in a life and death situation wherein you’re kidnapped or held hostage, mastery of freeing yourself from cuffs might save your life on a given day.
What can you say about escaping handcuffs using a paper clip? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
UP NEXT: SELF DEFENSE: Escaping Your Captors in the City
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Thanksgiving may not be for a couple of days, but the roads are already filling up with drivers heading away for the holiday weekend. Unfortunately, many of them are ill-prepared to face an emergency situation while out on the road. [...]
The post 45 Million people To Take Thanksgiving Road Trips: Are you ready for Roadside Emergencies? appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
Whether you are experiencing a lengthy power outage, a natural disaster or apocalyptic event, your stockpile is bound to dwindle sooner or later. I’ll tell you one thing – the folks who get creative with everyday items for survival will definitely be in it for the long haul.
Improvising with these items, which you may not consider for a survival situation on a normal basis, could potentially be the difference between life and death. Lucky for you, these items are already lying around the house. Improvise, adapt, and overcome! Check out these everyday survival items.
You can use it as a disposable plate or bowl so you can just dispose of it after without having the need to wash. It’s a good way to eat on-the-go. A few uses for coffee filters include:
Forgot your fish hooks or maybe ran out of them? Pop a cold one and create a sharp, pointy edge using the tab. A pair of cutting pliers will help you do the trick. Place in your bait and your good to go.
Seal your petroleum jelly soaked-cotton in a drinking straw and burn both ends to make it airtight. Other uses for drinking straws are:
In addition to transporting water or dry storage, broken glass bottles can be knapped down into knives, arrowheads, and scrapers and even use as a magnifying glass to start a fire!
In addition to candle making, wax can be used to make some of your items to become water resistant, serve as a lubricant or keep the rust off your tools! There’s just so many ways to make use of the wax when you come to think of it.
Tampons & condoms have so many uses than its universal use by people around the world. Tampons make excellent water filters and fire starters. Condoms can be used as tourniquets, part of a slingshot, and a water container just to name a few.
Improvising to survive is a great way to put dental floss to good use when SHTF happens. It’s really small and very handy. It’ll help you secure your gear, make a trip wire, a wire tinder and a whole lot more!
There are a million uses for duct tape. We love the idea of making survival arrow spines. As a matter of fact, there’s even an episode of the Mythbusters where Adam and Jamie are stranded on an island with nothing but duct tape.
Save your egg cartons and start your little seedlings. You can even make a mini greenhouse like the image above! This is a smart way to save space and even transport your seedlings indoors if need be.
A bandana may be something that one has when outdoors. You can use it to make smoke signals, a bandage over your head, a holder of edible plants, a slingshot. A brightly colored one can be used to make things or yourself easily visible.
Turn your tin cans into mini stoves or as some call it, the Rocket Stove! This will make you cook food faster even if it’s windy. Other than that, you can make yourself warm because of the heat emanating from the can.
Water purification, mosquito net or food dehydrator! The good thing is it’s light and doesn’t take so much space in your backpack. You can opt to wear it if you’re a woman, that is!
A quick source of light should you run out of other sources of fuel. It’s compact and light. A fire accelerator solves the problem of a zipper that is stuck and temporarily patches holes in a tent.
Our very own will show you a video of 7 simple survival hacks using household items:
There you have it! Everyday items you can actually use if the SHTF! There are actually more you can learn about just by surfing the web. But if you think you need to spend more on packing your survival kit or bug-out bag, then consider these everyday items. Of course, nothing beats the real thing that really serves you for that purpose. Still, just in case you don’t have what you need, these items might just do the job for you.
Do you have any other everyday items for survival you have used in the past? Please let us know in the comments section below!
UP NEXT: DIY Rainwater Collection System
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
We are getting to that time of year when things will begin to freeze at night. The leaves are falling and there is that crisp feeling in the air. As much as I love fall, I am not a big fan of the winter months. In addition to just disliking cold weather, winter weather can also do damage to my home. In many cases, winter provides the highest utility bills of the year as well. However, with a few simple steps you can ensure that damage is avoided and your bills stay as low as possible. In this article the tips and tricks in winterizing your home!
For most people, the furnace will provide all of your heat for the winter months. This means that servicing or replacing your furnace in the fall is one of your more important tasks. If you wish to get the lowest heating bills possible, you may want to upgrade to a high efficiency furnace. My parents just went through this process and told me they cut their heating bill in half! Energy star furnaces will run 15-20% more efficient than other new furnaces, but will greatly exceed those number versus old furnaces. Be sure to take advantage of rebates up to $500.
You also should maintain your existing furnace if you plan to stick with it. Many utility and HVAC companies offer free inspections on your furnace. Then once you know what you need, you can pay them to do the work or do it yourself. Just giving your existing furnace a tune up can increase efficiency by 5%. Also, be sure you replace your furnace filter once a month during winter months. This will increase its efficiency as well as remove dust, mold, and bacteria that can affect your family. Consider a HEPA filter that controls almost 100% of particles or an electrostatic filter that eliminates 88% of particles. These figures are compared to 10-40% for standard fiberglass filters. You can also purchase a permanent filter that never needs to be changed.
Drafts are a huge issue during the winter reducing efficiency by 10-30%. Once good option to consider is a simple draft dodger at the base of your exterior doors. This is simply a fabric role that blocks the draft at the base of your doors. You can buy them, make them, or just roll up a bathroom towel. Storm doors and windows are another great idea. Simply adding a storm door can increase your efficiency by as much as 45%. If you do not have storm doors or windows in your attic, there are plenty of government rebates available.
For additional efficiency options, you can add plastic film to your windows. These kits only cost a few dollars and can eliminate window drafts. For an even better result, you can pay a contractor to install an e-film on all of your windows. Both options are virtually invisible when properly installed. If the draft is bad enough, you may want to just replace the windows themselves. Again, rebates are available for this project. Smaller leaks where two building materials meet can reduce energy efficiency by 5-30%. For this, weather stripping and caulking will do the job. Check for leaks around chimneys, wires, pipes, and the foundation. Just hold a lit stick of incense near the spot and see if the smoke blows away.
Insulation is one of the largest factors in your home’s efficiency. Unfortunately, most households are not insulated as well as they could be. Add some additional insulation in walls and the attic, or hire somebody to do it.
Be sure you reverse the direction of your ceiling fan during the winter. All ceiling fans have a switch that will adjust it to push hot air down instead of drawing it upwards.
Adjust your thermostat to a lower setting and use blankets and warm clothing to compensate. This is much less expensive than leaving it set at the most comfortable setting.
Service your air conditioning and hoses. This just means removing any water from pipes or hoses so it does not freeze. Be sure to remove any window units and store them to reduce draft in that window.
You can have a contractor conduct a full energy audit of your home. This determines how much money you would save if you made specific upgrades. My parents went through this process on their home from the 1980’s, and they were amazed by the savings. The government also covered a huge chunk of their upgrade bill.
Duct work often has leaks that reduce efficiency by 5-30%. Either hire a contractor to inspect your duct work, or seal them yourself.
Plumbing can a be a large weakness in your home efficiency. First, you can reduce the temperature on your water heater. Many contractors set water heaters at 140F, but you really only need it at about 120F. In addition, you can insulate your pipes. Check to see if they are warm to the touch. If they are, you can buy precut pipe insulation at your hardware store.
The holidays can be a great time to add those much-needed supplies to your prepper stockpile! Check out how you can learn how to stock up on the essentials!
While millions of Americans are throwing their money away on a bunch of useless garbage, smart preppers are using the season to become better prepared. For those looking to build their emergency stockpiles, this is one of the best times of the year to get started. Most grocery stores are offering deep discounts on certain types of food this time of year; fortunately for preppers, these items store very well for long periods of time, making this the perfect opportunity to grow your emergency stockpiles.
Start researching who is selling what, then go online to see if you can find coupons to further increase your savings. Websites like the Krazy Coupon Lady allow you to break it down by store and product.
Sometimes, not all great deals are found online. There are local stores who simply make announcements through the local mail. So, make it a point to search for local deals in your mail circulars. When you’re out shopping, make sure to keep track of the deals.
Don’t forget to use sites like Amazon to search for holiday deals. The great thing about these sites is many local stores will now price match the items you find online.
While many of the products sold this time of year are geared towards the holidays, many of the products can be used throughout the year. For instance, every year right after Christmas, I usually stock up on candles. I can usually buy a couple hundred different candles for the price of one good emergency candle. Yes, they are usually holiday colored candles; but during a power outage or grid-down emergency, I doubt I’m going to care what color or what scent the candles are.
Nature provides so many first aid tools that make an excellent addition to your survival supplies.https://t.co/sgQoFvGT8p
— Survival Life (@SurvivalLF) October 16, 2017
Over the next month or so, most grocery stores are going to have deep discounts on seasonal foods, common baking and cooking ingredients, and even different types of meats. If you can afford it, you might want to invest in a large chest/deep freezer. The money you spend now will save you thousands in the long run, because you will be able to buy all your meats when they are on sale, instead of buying them at inflated prices throughout the year.
Frozen Turkeys: This is the time of year to stock up on turkey. An unopened turkey can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 years, but for best taste, it should be cooked within a year of being put into storage.
Frozen Hams: As we get closer to Christmas, you should start to see deals on holiday hams. This is another item that freezes well and will last at least until next season.
Butter: If you find a deal on butter, stock up! Butter freezes very well without any loss of taste, quality, or texture. Frozen butter will keep up to one year.
Canned Foods: Canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin are all things can be picked up at a fraction of the cost this time of year. Most canned goods will last for 2-5 years; look for cans with the furthest out expiration dates.
Baking & Cooking Ingredients: Spices, sugar, yeast, flour, and cake mixes should all be deeply discounted. Most of these items will last for years, and certain flours could last for over a decade if stored properly.
Alcohol: Even if you don’t drink, alcohol is an important preparedness item. From medicinal uses and cooking purposes to bartering products during a full-scale collapse, there are a number of reasons to stock up on liquor — not to mention the fact most hard liquors will store indefinitely.
Socks, Underwear & Blankets: Around Christmas time, these things are always deeply discounted and sometimes sold as door-buster items at below their cost. Remember, we are not wasting money; instead, we are stocking up on long-term consumables and items we know we will need in the future.
Looking for more ways to build your prepper stockpile? Watch this video AlaskaGranny and find out how to start a prepper food pantry for less cash!
Prepping doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg; the holidays can be a great time to stock up on everything you need to make it through the next year. While most people are out losing money this time of year, those who are smart use the season to save money and protect their future.
Courtesy of Off Grid Survival.
Do you know other things we should include in a prepper stockpile? Share it with us in the comments below!
UP NEXT: 10 Items You Should Stockpile Every Month
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Finding ways to cool your house during a hot day or night during a blackout can get really inconvenient, most especially if you’re unprepared. If you had the means to get the heat out, you would surely not think twice about doing so!
What if the blackout was caused by a natural or man-made disaster such as an earthquake, flood, forest fire, or other situations like a downed electric pole? While the power is out, there must be other ways to cool your house and keep the temperature down so you could just feel a bit more comfortable. Let me help you out with these few ways to keep your house cool during these trying times.
Assuming you’re using liquefied petroleum gas, avoid cooking inside your home. Instead, cook outside or better yet, have food delivered to your home if that’s possible. The heat from cooking will circulate in your home which definitely won’t be helpful at all.
Open all your windows and your doors to allow the breeze to cool your home. By opening both ends of your home, the breeze will push the hot air out from one end to the other. Leaving the windows open at night will also help cool down your home the following morning.
This is a method that will allow the wind to cool down the air inside your home as it passes through the damp curtains. You will have to follow up on the mopping, but it does achieve its purpose.
Using drapes or window coverings such as light-colored curtains on windows or doors where the sunlight directly pours in at certain parts of the day can help keep the temperature down. Remember, the less sunlight that passes through the windows, the better.
If a blackout happens on a regular basis or if it will last long due to a downed power line, you would probably consider placing vents on eavesdrops or on the roof. Oftentimes, hot air is trapped in the space between the ceiling and the roof. This will, in turn, generate heat that will pass through the ceiling into your home.
If there are rooms in your home that are not being used during the hottest part of the day, you can opt to close the doors. This way the cool air won’t be distributed in the areas where you don’t need it.
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We all know that cotton sheets are way cooler than fleece and flannel ones, so cotton is the way to go. You can also cover your furniture and use cotton pillowcases. Just in case you might be wondering, dark colors absorb more heat so try to stay out of thick and dark fabrics during this time.
This is obviously for long-term solutions. Planting trees outside your home, especially in parts where direct sunlight pours in, will help shield your home from the sun’s hot rays. Moreover, trees create shade around the house, which makes the house cooler during those really hot days.
Using 1 liter or 1.5-liter plastic bottles, cut into half with using the part with the bottleneck. Drill holes large enough for the bottleneck end to fit onto a board the size of your window. Place each bottle side by side with the cut end facing outward until it covers the whole board and then fit it into the window. The hot air passes through the bottleneck, compresses the air, and cools it in the process.
You can coat your roofing with cool-colored paint, so it will reflect most of the heat coming from direct sunlight. The sunlight bouncing off will also help cut down your air-conditioning bills in the long run.
Other than helping you cut down on your electric bill, this will probably provide you with enough power that will last for a certain period of time. In the absence of electricity, you can still use an electric fan or air conditioning unit. It may initially cost you quite a sum of money to have it installed, but the savings and convenience are worth it.
With today’s’ technology, small generator sets are readily available at your local hardware store. This is another effective temporary energy source that will keep the heat at bay until the electricity comes back again.
You can have a wind turbine installed to convert wind energy into mechanical energy using a ceiling fan. Or probably convert it into electrical energy using a converter that will power a small fan.
Here’s a video by Anon Z on passive home cooling methods during power outages:
There are other short and long-term ways to cool your house, but you must remember that you must also focus on your body more than anything else. Staying hydrated, taking a quick shower, or going for a swim will help you cool down. Now if the situation permits, you may consider going out, watching a movie or staying in the mall until the electricity is back.
Do you have other ways to cool your house during a blackout? Please share them in the comments section below.
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A home invasion/burglary occurs nearly every 15 seconds in the United States. Here are 5 things that could be inviting a criminal to burglarize your home. [...]
The post Are you Welcoming a Home Invasion? Five ways you Could be Inviting a Burglar into your Home appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
What disaster scenarios are most likely to happen that people should definitely be prepared for? While global disasters are almost impossible to predict, the world that man walked on for millennia has always posed as being an obvious threat to himself.
Throughout the years, scientists have continuously been finding ways to predict natural disasters before they actually happen. There’s been a degree of success in this area, thanks to the growth of modern technology. However, nature can still be very unpredictable and can easily claim so many lives in a short period of time. At the same time, there will be personal and local threats you will also face alongside global disasters. To help you be more prepared, here is an emergency preparedness plan in case the situation gets way out of hand.
Personal disasters are more likely to happen than global ones. Things like burglary, personal theft, or assault, are the possible dangers we all face in our daily lives. These small-scale SHTF scenarios can lead to bigger, unwanted problems if things turn out really bad.
Panic is your worst enemy in these situations, so staying calm is the best approach.
Call 911 immediately in the event of a burglary. It’s useful to have an alarm system in your home to give you an alert signal of unauthorized entry. A defense firearm must be easily accessible and stored away from children. Use your knowledge about the layout of your house to your advantage where there’s no need for you to roam around and be able to protect your family members in the process.
One thing to bear in mind is that thieves don’t dress like thieves. They can be mothers with babies in their arms or a random person wearing decent clothes, you wouldn’t really suspect them for being fast-fingered pickpockets. These people are an expert in distraction. It’s impossible to identify thieves from the crowd and you can’t always be on the lookout. So make sure to keep your valuables safe and close where you can sense if someone tries to reach for it.
The best preparation for an assault is probably by carrying a concealed weapon. But what if you don’t have a concealed carry firearm, or caught by surprise by an attacker? You should have some defense tactics of your own like a kick in the groin or poking your attacker in the eye. Well, this is easier said than done so enrolling in close quarters combat is perhaps the best thing to do.
In 2015, there are a staggering 4.4 million injuries and over 38,000 deaths relating to car accidents in the United States. You have to be a hundred percent alert on the road. Get a lot of sleep before driving and avoid distractions. Always maintain a good distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you and always fasten your seatbelt. This will increase your chances of survival in case another car accidentally bumps into yours.
The kind of local disaster you may face is contingent on your home’s placement. Depending on your location, these can include floods, tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and even terrorism. Of course, you probably have a good idea of which natural calamity will most likely pay you a visit each year. Awareness of these things allows you to take the necessary preparations to keep you and your family safe.
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Tornadoes and hurricanes are formed differently yet both have the destructive power to cause serious damage in their path. Always stay informed of the news and weather forecasts for warnings. Move away from the coasts to avoid severe flooding caused by the storm surge. The safest place to be in these catastrophic events is to stay in the basement so it’s good if you have this planned ahead in the construction of your home. Store as much provisions as you can in case your location sits right on the storm’s path.
Tsunamis form when there’s a disturbance in the ocean floor due to an earthquake. The displacement of water travels from the deep ocean in waves and crushes the coastlines with great force. Be aware of the potential warning signs like strong earthquakes, rapid rise and fall of water along the coasts, and a loud ocean roar. Then move to high ground as fast as you can or at least a mile from the coastlines.
When earthquakes happen, move to open ground and stay away from buildings. If you’re indoors, just stay calm and avoid running to the exit. Get under a desk or table if you find one. There is still no reliable way to predict earthquakes so knowing what to do in the event is your best chance of survival.
Global catastrophes are the scenarios that we don’t want to think about. They basically mean the end of the human race. It makes no sense ranking these on a scale, since they all basically mean the extinction of almost everything that breathes. While earthquakes and volcanic activities would probably leave room for survival, there’s, unfortunately, no possible way to prepare for giant asteroids and meteors that may head straight towards the earth.
Watch this video about disaster scenarios in more detail by the Canadian Prepper:
If you examine all three categories of disaster scenarios, you should know how to deal with them and which ones you should pay more attention to. Especially with personal and local threats, knowing what to do will increase your chances of survival. Furthermore, although global disasters are random and no amount of emergency preparedness will help, it’s still good to consider the possibility of their occurring.
What can you say about these realistic disaster scenarios? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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