Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
ISSN 2161-5543
In This Issue:
1. 60 Frugal skills everyone should know
2. Easy Home Canning
3. Groupon for college kids
4. Share your donations and do some good
5. Why is Congress dysfunctional?
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. --Unknown
The essentials for survival…
I’ve always been a fan of indoor plumbing. Since WWII most Americans enjoy running water and indoor toilets. To me, this might be the best part of progress during the 20th century. Nothing like a hot shower each morning.
Other bits of progress I enjoy include electricity and the PC. Of course, advances in medicine and agriculture have helped the world too. Television has been the big disappointment (so-called ‘reality shows’ are dumb jokes and we rarely see any hard hitting documentaries).
So what are the essentials you need for survival?
This is a no brainer. Food, water, shelter and many would argue, electricity. All of these are getting more expensive and many predict clean water will be the new ‘gold’ in the coming decades. Learn how to purify water and/or purchase purification tablets (sold in the outdoor camping aisle at Wal Mart and other retailers). Although expensive, you can also purchase freeze dried ‘camper’ food there too.
Earlier in the year, one of our readers told us he and his family purchased a used RV to use as emergency shelter and would be able to park it, if needed, on the farm owned by his brother. He also keeps several 5-gallon containers filled with gasoline for emergencies along with a generator.
Backup supplies of toiletries are useful. Benjamin Franklin used a mixture of honey and ground charcoal as a simple toothpaste…doesn’t sound good to me but a paste of baking soda and water will do the trick just fine.
With the spate of natural disasters hitting our planet almost weekly, a good first aid kit and bug out kit would do well in a survival situation. Taking a first aid class is always a good idea (consult your area Red Cross).
Emergency communication devices would prove useful but I wouldn’t always rely on a cell phone. Instead, invest in a pair of two-way, multiple channel radios or CBs and keep extra batteries on hand.
Knowledge and a plan of action is essential for surviving disasters, whether man-made or natural. Even a little amount of preparation can go a long way for creating peace of mind…one book can help tremendously, the Boy Scout manual and of course, using the free resources at our PoorManSurvival.com site, is useful as well.
Stock up to prepare for disasters…
Finally, some might argue the need for a bed bunker in order to survive. Check out this $2000 item at:
A dab of mayonnaise is perfect for cracks in the wood, according to blog DIY Life.
Of course, this will only work for small cracks, but smooth mayonnaise over the crack to fill it, wipe off any extra, and let the crack sit for a few days. According to DIY Life, the oils and proteins in the mayonnaise will make the wood swell up at the point of contact, and while it likely won't close the crack entirely, it'll definitely shrink. When it's swelled shut a bit, you can then wipe off anything left behind and polish the wood to obscure the crack.
PM’s Compendium of Useful Resources
Easy Home Canning
A majority of Americans agree home canned jams and vegetables taste better, but few of us have the time or desire to can at home. Here are some basics of home canning.
--Wash the jars and lids, then place into a large pot of water and simmer to sterilize.
--Seal the jars with a boiling water canner or covered stock pot fitted with a rack.
--Lift jars out and empty out the water. Fill your jars leaving room at the top per whatever recipe you’re using.
--Remove air bubbles using a spatula and clean the rims of any excess. Place hot lid on each jar and secure with the band.
--Place the jars back into boiling water maintaining at least a three inch level of water over the jars and process according to whatever recipe you’re using.
Or…go to your local Walmart and get a Ball Canning Discovery Kit which gives you everything to make your own jams and jelly, salsa and more.
Share your donation and do some good…
If you’re like my sister, you only have a path in your basement as it’s so full of stuff, no one can get around. At this site you can browse 1,300 charities and learn what items are on their wish list. Then, complete a simple form to arrange a pickup or drop off. The site then shares your gifts online and who it has helped…inspiring others to donate too.
Save Money with these college sites
Known as the ‘Groupon’ for the college crowd, CampusDibs.com zeroes in on deals relevant to a specific school or sports conference…students can snap up bargains ranging from pizza to school supplies/
Find more scholarship programs at this online social network which connects parents and students with admissions recruiters…
Zinch.com
60 Frugal Skills Everyone Should Know
The ‘Grandma’ of money saving coupons - Coupon Mom
Save with our 51 store lists in the Grocery Deals by State section including Kroger, Publix, Shoprite, Safeway, Ralphs, Shaws, Stop n Shop, Giant, Harris Teeter, Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, and many more
Grocery Store Freebies: You can find and print the best deals for all your state's grocery stores in one list in our Extreme Grocery Deals section.
The Nanny State Updates…
Less Regulation Equal More US Jobs…
The National Retail Federation (NRF) issued a press release on Tuesday welcoming plans announced by the Obama Administration to streamline hundreds of government regulations.
President Obama signed an executive order in January requiring federal agencies to review business regulations and streamline or eliminate them where possible. The Administration unveiled Tuesday a package of regulations that have been identified for action, saying it would likely save $10 billion over the next five years.
Retail organization NRF said the move was a step in the right direction, but said the government is continuing to crank out new rules that "hamper the ability of the business community to create desperately needed new jobs."
NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said that in addition to reducing government regulation, the administration should focus on assisting employers, especially small businesses, with regulatory compliance rather than aggressively pursuing fines and penalties.
"If the purpose of regulations is to ensure that companies conduct business in a responsible way, then let's give them help in doing so," French said. "Massive fines simply take away money that could be put to better use creating jobs and growing the economy."
Americans' confidence in the economy is sitting at its lowest point since March 2009, and in every state in the country, a vast majority of Americans see the economy as getting worse. Meanwhile, the number of people claiming new jobless benefits rose again last week. Under those circumstances, it's no wonder the White House is doing everything it can to make even the most dismal economic news seem like a silver lining on a very dark cloud.
That shred of news came yesterday in the form of the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) mid-year assessment of the budget and economic situation. In the report, the CBO lowered its projected 2011 economic growth rate from 3.1 percent in its January report to only 2.3 percent--well below the growth rate needed to reduce the unemployment rate.
The Parting Thought…
Stymied…Why is Congress so dysfunctional?
Few would argue that Congress has been dysfunctional for decades, through Republican and Democratic majorities, through Republican and Democratic Presidents, through divided control and one-party domination, through crises and calm, through good times and bad, through good leaders and bad. Both parties have proven dangerous to its citizens.
Its procedures and the collective behavior of its members do not produce anything close to what the public expects. Even on those rare occasions it does get something done, it is absolutely incompetent. A little dysfunction is one thing, but in perpetuity is another.
And now, with the country in recession and fighting two wars; when politicians continue to suffer puzzling lapses in ethics or wisdom…violating its Constitutional authority seems to be the rule for the past 30 or more years.
Congress has been corrupt for a long time. "Public policies for the benefit of the people" is no longer the purpose, nor even the goal, of Congress. The first purpose of Congress is to gain and retain the control of congressional power and to get themselves reelected.
It’s an endless game of partisanship over progress, greed over gumption in its endless self-serving pursuits.
Consider its inability to create a meaningful energy policy that would remove America from being held hostage to foreign oil producers while depleting our treasury. Consider its anti-gun stance, essentially ignoring the Constitution; its inability to do anything meaningful about illegal immigration, its inability to create a fair tax system versus huge corporate welfare programs; its inability to remove the barriers and red tape which fuel our huge unemployment and so on.
Is Congress merely gutless and incompetent; are they bought and paid for by Corporate America or are they simply taking advantage of a gullible, dummied-down public…or a combination of all three?
I’ve felt a disturbance in the force…May it be with you! The Poor Man…
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