Living on Preps: Stress-free Job Search

I know that I have mentioned several times the importance of having things “stuck back,” and this is one of those weeks that I am VERY happy to have the preps that I have accumulated to this point. I, like so many others, lost my job this week. I, unlike so many others, am not wondering how I am going to feed my child until the next paycheck comes in. Even my son commented on the benefits of prepping when he noticed the change in my usual work schedule. Of course I had to explain that I was laid off, his reply was childlike simplicity at its finest, “well, we have plenty of food.”

Plenty of food does not begin to scratch the surface of the preps inside my small condo, but I am very grateful to have invested the time required to preserve everything the way I have. I find that I am much more relaxed than the last time I was unemployed. I have food, and money stashed away that I can use as needed, so I am much more focused on what needs to be done to find a new job, or maybe even start a small business. Most of all, I am relaxed! The peace of mind that can be found in knowing you have what is needed to survive is amazing!

If you have not started prepping, you have to ask yourself why. Sure it does take some time to do canning and other things, but the stress it saves, I can now honestly say, is well worth a few hours of extra work.

Since my other commitments are…um…minimal now, I hope to work on the blog more. Ideas for up coming articles include raised beds and edible wild plants. Shoot me a comment if there is anything else you’d like to read about, I’m always looking for ideas.

Happy Prepping!!

Canning with the Season: More Food in Jars

Looking back at some of my older posts, I notice that a lot of people are looking at the pressure canning of soup post, so I’m going to add a few words about that.

·      Pressure canning is not hard, but it does take a few hours

·      Do not can starchy food – it turns into a thick paste on the bottom of the jars, and no one will eat it

·      Experiment!

The soup I was making in the pictures is Chicken, Corn and Lime soup. The only variation I use is fresh or home-canned chicken stock. I also make as much of this as possible since it does not last very long around my house.

Other great options for pressure canning are: refried beans, chicken soup (add noodles, rice, or whatever when you serve it), chili, vegetable soup (minus the potatoes), rabbit stew, beef stew, corned beef and cabbage, left-over barbecue, left-over baked beans, and the list goes on.

Since spring is flying by already, hopefully everyone will be invited to a cookout or two this summer. With pressure canning, you can be the person who takes home all of the leftover food. Just be sure to can it quickly and pass some back to the host or hostess. Also as your veggies are ripening in the garden, find some of your own recipes and build your pantry. I would love to read some of your recipes you have canned, send them to me!

Thanks for reading, and Happy Prepping!

Spring Cleaning

            Spring is finally here; at least it is in my corner of the US, and with it, the need for spring-cleaning, and most of all the need to rearrange things in my car. I am, and I’m sure that I’m not alone, on the road way too often! My crossover style truck is packed with gear needed in case I need to walk home: some food that gets swapped out much more frequently, spare magazines for my .9mm just in case, towels, extra clothes, and a sleeping bag. This is obviously a short version of what is in there, but it’s a workable list.

            In preparing for the much warmer months ahead, I have included a bunch of different things done to summer-ize my mobile preps. I swapped my winter boots for a pair of broken in tennis shoes. In the event that I have to walk home, uncomfortable stiff new shoes will make the trek that much more miserable. Plus, I am more likely to walk during breaks in my day if I have a comfy pair of shoes in the truck; and who couldn’t use the exercise.

My clothing was checked to make sure it will work in higher heat and humidity; since I put in jeans and a T-shirt, I’m good to go. I did remove the winter jacket in favor of a lighter waterproof one since nothing sucks more than being wet. Remember that hypothermia is still a real possibility, even in the heat of summer, if you are wet and compromised in some way – no food, bleeding, etc. Also, opt for a waterproof jacket that breathes. Marmot has great gear that covers this requirement. It’s currently on my list of things to obtain someday. But I have borrowed and worn their jackets before. Sweat can escapes, and rain does not get in, and those two thing can save your life. Extra socks follows that same idea, I can’t see where having extra socks would ever be a bad thing. Look for synthetic materials that allow for fast wicking and evaporation. Having a minimum of two pairs will give you the freedom of wearing one while washing, or at least airing out the other pair.

I took out my stocking hat and added a baseball cap. I also made sure that I have bands to hold back my hair, and clips for my bangs. Obviously this is optional, but all bug-out equipment should be based on personal choices, right? Bug spray and sun screen are added to the car from the home stock; use the stuff with the closest expiration date to keep your stock rotation going. I add Benedryl to my bag as well since regular pollen allergies, and bees can be problems for some. I went through my BOB and pulled out any medications (what few I carry) that are expired, and am in the process of replacing them.

While you are going through your BOB (Bug-out-Bag), look at any knives you have and check for rust, and sharpness. Run through the rest of your gear to check for similar damage. Add more bandaids, continue to add to your stash of cash or silver, and make sure you have several working way to make fire. You can never have too much water with you, so add some to your car, and to your BOB.

Guess I still have some work to do, please write if you have anything to add, or any questions. Happy Prepping!

Quick Breakfast at a Prepper's House

            Ever have one of those mornings where you want to go back to bed, but your child is screaming for breakfast? Mine didn’t scream, thank goodness, but sleep was out of the question this past weekend until after I fed the boy who seems to outgrow things by the hour. So I went hunting in my kitchen for something, anything that would be acceptable for my son, and easy enough to not need hours of work. I love my pantry! <- a saying I have adopted from a friend with a similar pantry as mine.

Breakfast consisted of: scrambled eggs – fresh, hash browns, and bacon. Sounds normal enough until I admit that it only took 15 minutes to fix. Now don’t doubt me yet, I’ll explain.

Everyone understands that time is at a premium these days, and my own time is split between the full time job, the full time course load at college, and being a single mother with boy scouts and the whole nine. This is where having the prep work done in advance gives you a serious advantage. Anytime I know I will have a few hours free, I try to work on preps. I have shelves of soup in jars of all different types, homemade jelly for quick PBJ’s, and home-canned veggies to add as needed to anything.

The first time saver I used this past weekend is: canned bacon! Yes, I have jars of bacon housed in wide-mouth pint jars that was put through the pressure canner a few months ago. The slices are separated and rolled in parchment paper then canned with nothing else added. I did pre-cook mine a little before canning so I could pour off some of the grease, but I have read that it’s an optional step.

Next are the hash browns. I was lucky enough to get a food processor as a gift from my boyfriend for Christmas and tested its abilities with potatoes; LOTS of potatoes, and some onions. Potatoes are very easy to dehydrate if you have a dehydrator. Slice them however you like, then blanch them in boiling water until they are opaque. Rinse them until the water runs clear and spread them onto the trays of the dehydrator. I added shredded onions to mine since I like potatoes and onions together, and the next morning I had racks full of dried hash browns. Store these in an airtight container and use whenever you want.

To reconstitute the potatoes, I tossed a few handfuls into a pan, and added enough very hot water to cover them. Put a small plate on top to keep them underwater as much as possible and leave them alone for about 10 minutes. I drained off what water had not soaked up, and added some of the bacon grease from the bottom of the bacon jar (there is a little bit there), then fried it up as the eggs were cooking. The kitchen smelled amazing; you will have the bacon smell still, not to worry.

My son smelled the food and came out just in time to get a plate. He was glad it didn’t take too long to make, sharing my opinion on the matter, and he did not notice that we were eating preps.

Dehydrating fell out of popular favor in the 70’s according to my mother, but has found a place in my home. My single attempt at making fruit leathers failed, but turned into stiff sheets that looked like fish flakes for humans since I left them on too long. So accept that some things just will not turn out quite right and try again. Bananas can be tricky, but pineapple is really easy. I’ll try to add pictures when I make more hash browns since I have requests now. But if you have a dehydrator, dust it off and try making something other than jerky.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Prepping!

Buying a New Gun during the Ammunition Shortage

Buying a gun at the worst of times, as it currently is, can be a tricky endeavor. I was recently thinking of getting a 1911 .45, but decided against it for one single reason: the ammo shortage. I have a Ruger LCP 380 that I usually carry, and that I have put several hundred rounds through. I also have a Glock 26 9mm, which I also have quite a few range hours with. Both of these guns are familiar to me, and I would not need to think about the mechanics in order to use either if my life depended on it. The 1911 would not be the same way. Since that gun, and really every weapon, handles differently and has different safety mechanisms, I would need to spend at least a month hitting the range a few hours a week in order to be confident in my skills. While I can find the time, I cannot find the ammunition needed to practice until I would feel proficient in shooting the 1911. In a life or death moment, the last thing I want to think about is how to use the gun I'm carrying. For now, I am going to pass on getting it.

So what can someone do who does not have a gun already?

I do recommend that you practice as much as possible with ANY new firearm you purchase. If you choose to buy a new gun, research the availability of ammunition BEFORE spending your money on the gun itself. It will not do any good to have a gun without having ammunition to shoot both when you NEED to, and to practice with. And it is not smart to have to rely on a gun you are not familiar with in a life or death situation. Part of survival is being very familiar with your equipment, its uses, capabilities, and limitations. Remembering to flip the “safety” off is not something I currently have to think about. Neither the Glock, nor my Ruger have one. The 1911 would require the muscle memory for me to reflexively preform this action. That muscle memory can be developed in a range, but without having a few hundred rounds, I would be putting my safety in jeopardy to rely on this gun.

So what can you get for protection?

In all honesty, a shotgun may be the best bet. Shotgun shells are still pretty easy to find, and there is only a minimal amount of aiming that needs to be done in order to neutralize a threat. Although many of us do not like to, women CAN shoot a shotgun with relative ease, and accuracy. Since the scatter pattern of a shotgun has a much wider damage area than a handgun or rifle, practice for the need of accuracy can be limited to a box or 2 of smaller size shells. I keep 00 buck in mine, loaded and ready at all times, but shoot something with less “kick” when I dust it off for practice.

If you are still set on getting a handgun, and I do recommend that you get at least one if you are interested, do your research first. Decide on the type you think you want, and try to find a box of ammo before borrowing, or renting one to shoot prior to buying. Then make it a personal mission to actively look for ammunition whenever you leave your house. Unless you are VERY good friends with someone who sells guns and ammo, calling around will do no good. Once ammunition goes on the shelves at a business, it is usually a matter of minutes before they are sold out again. You will physically have to go and check the shelves so you can grab boxes as you find them. Do not expect anyone to hold ammunition for you because you called! You would have better luck catching a unicorn. Be realistic in your search, and be aware of typical market value of the ammunition you are hunting for. In my area, for instance, there are dealers who charged around $25 for a brick of .22’s, and are still only charging that when they have it available. There are also dealers who have jacked the price to nearly $80 for the same brick of .22’s although the cost from the suppliers has not risen. And still others try to sell a box of reloads for the price of new rounds. It warrants saying again, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!

Once the market for guns and ammunition becomes “easy” again, remember this time of shortage, and stock up. But that should be the motto for any prepper, “Stock up when things are cheap and easy to find.” Although I do not practice with my Glock or my Ruger the way I did this time last year, I know that I have plenty of rounds for my shooting needs since I did stock up.

Good luck with your search, and Happy Prepping!