Category Archives: Holidays

Remember to Give Thanks for all Your Blessings

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As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2013 in the midst of a difficult economy,  multiple natural disasters in recent months, worldwide protests and unrest,  we are grateful to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and friends.

Having a preparedness mindset, I realize all the things that can fail in our system. But I am grateful for things that have not failed.  We have a roof over our heads, water in the tap, gas in our cars, and are able to find a variety of food at the grocery store.  In this day and age of commercialism, people tend to forget what this time of year means.  It is time to give thanks to God for all the good things that have gone on in your life.  I hope Thanksgiving is not eclipsed by all the emphasis on Black Friday and marathon shopping days ahead.  We should not take anything for granted.  Let’s be thankful for what we have and be mindful of our blessings.

I’d like to thank our sponsors, whose support helps maintain the blog.  My greatest thanks to you, dear readers, for taking the time to share part of your day with me.  We hope we can all celebrate many more abundant Thanksgivings to come.  

I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday.

 

Sing to the LORD a new song, a hymn in the assembly of the faithful.  Let Israel be glad in their maker, the people of Zion rejoice in their king.  Let them praise his name in festive dance, make music with tambourine and harp.  For the LORD takes delight in his people, honors the poor with victory.  Let the faithful rejoice in their glory.     

Psalm 149

Happy Easter to All

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Bluebonnets

For God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  John 3:16

I wish you and your families all the joys and blessings of Easter.

 

How Preppers Help their Communities

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Today as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day our thoughts turn to Dr. King’s life and legacy.   I wanted to focus on what  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Unlike other holidays, the King holiday is celebrated as a day of service.  Not just a day off from work to sleep late and go shopping, it is a time to remember King’s dream for all people and his life of service.

What’s this got to do with prepping?

Well, negative publicity and comments in the media have implied that preppers are selfish in only looking out for themselves and their own families.  This mistaken idea that prepared people don’t care about others is far from the truth.   Many preparedness and survival experts recommend setting aside some of one’s own supplies to give to others who may be in need.   You may do it without fanfare, and anonymously, but it is giving nonetheless.  Many preppers who have stockpiles choose to donate to to food banks and other charities and share the bounty.

Other preppers get involved in groups that help their communities be more prepared, or actually get involved in disaster relief efforts.

At the same time, many individuals choose to give of their time and knowledge by showing others how to be more self-sufficient and prepared for the next disaster.   Free information on how to prepare for disasters or acquire skills is freely given.  You don’t need to spend money to be charitable.  Just the simple act of showing someone who is willing to learn how to do things is helpful enough.

As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy, let’s consider using this day to do some something for others.  To all the preppers out there doing service to others, not just today, but everyday:  thank you and please keep up your great work.

Quick Update:

Promising new additions to Blog Links:

I was contacted by Dennis Evers about his new resource for “hands-on” preppers.  Below is a description of his new site:

Preppers are typically “hands-on” kind of people, and with that in mind, a new website; “Preparedness is Fundamental”, has just been launched that features articles and short how-to videos on prepping for anyone that doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty. One video shows you how you can secure as many perfectly good batteries as you want for free while another walks you through the easy construction of a super bright, rugged 12 Volt LED prepper light for around $6.00.

Other information includes how to build a solar generator, gardening, free prepper materials and discount codes, while upcoming videos and how-to articles deal with a serious homemade smoker for under ten bucks, LED security lighting, long term food storage, seed preservation and more.

To the first 50 visitors “Preparedness is Fundamental” is offering a free eBook; “How to Handle a Crisis” (a $4.99 value) which deals with all types of disasters, terrorism, CBRNE, medical crises and survival.

 To visit, go to http://proficientprepping.wordpress.com/

 

I’ve also added a link to Prepper Next Door, the blog companion to one of my favorite preparedness books:  The Prepper Next Door: A Practical Guide For Disaster And Emergency Planning.

 

 

 

For beginning preppers

 

Rotate your Food Storage for your UpcomingThanksgiving Feast

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Rotating cansThis week before the Thanksgiving holiday, while you are planning your Thanksgiving feast, consider inspecting your your food storage and see if you need to start rotating some of your items.  I’ve only been prepping for a couple of years, but have found a few stored foods are starting to approach expiration dates.

So why not include some of your food storage items for Thanksgiving?

A few ideas:

  • Canned corn and green beans can be added to casseroles
  • Mountain House Noodles and Chicken makes a tasty meal all by itself
  • Use rice, chicken bouillon, dehydrated celery and dehydrated onion in your stuffing
  • Use your stored vegetable or olive oils before they go rancid.  Oils only last about a year in storage before flavor starts to degrade
  • Canned pineapple or peaches can be used for pies.
  • Flour and yeast can be used for your artisan bread

Conversation Starter

It’s a good bet that at least 80% of your guests will not be preppers, and may have misconceptions about stored food.   A lot of people still think that emergency food is mostly dry nutrition bars that no one likes.  While your guests are raving about your dishes, and talk turns to recipes and ingredients, casually mention that some of those tasty foods are actually from your storage pantry.   This may change their minds about the benefits of  storing foods:  convenient, delicious and cost-effective.

Review your Recipes Ahead of Time

As with any meal planning, you need to be familiar with the recipes you are making ahead of time.  Making something new that you have no idea how it’ll turn out may cause regrets.  I’ve had a few failures trying out new, untested recipes for a big event, so I don’t recommend it.  Use tried and true recipes especially if you are using food storage, and leave experimentation for another time.   Some good resources for planning meals:  The Prepper’s Pantry: Building and Thriving with Food Storage by Anne Lang and 100-day Pantry: 100 Quick and Easy Gourmet Meals by Jan Jackson.

Rotate your Stocks

I hate wasting anything, and using some food storage for a nice meal would be worthwhile.  Remember to replace what you just used with more recently purchased items.

 

 

For more preparedness tips, read my book:

Good ideas for building a food storage plan can be found here:

 

This Halloween, Face your Fears

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Halloween Trick or Treaters

What keeps you up at night?  Are you afraid of a global economic collapse?  Pandemic?  How about a nuclear meltdown?  Do earthquake or other natural disasters such as another Katrina spook you?  Or is it a more personal fear of being attacked as you are home alone?   Is there one thing that scares you or a whole combination of them?

There are so many dangers, both real and imaginary, that if you think about all of them you will go nuts worrying about everything.  You only have so much money and time to allocate and there is no way to prepare for everything.  What you need to do is figure out what are the most likely threats to you personally.   For example, there are a few neighboring cities near Houston that are always having a “shelter in place” order due their proximity to industries that have been known to emit noxious emissions.  Consider:

  • What natural disasters affect your region the most?
  • Your proximity to industrial sites and nuclear power plants
  • Population density in your city
  • How vulnerable is the infrastructure in your town?
  • Do you live in a high crime area?

Then consider how prepared you are at this point in time, if an emergency were to happen today:

  • How much water do you have?
  • How many days worth of food do you have in your pantry?
  • Do you have back ups on prescriptions, First Aid supplies?
  • Can you cope with a power outage?
  • How long can you last on supplies if you could not go to the store?

Once you have considered the above questions, you will begin to sort out what bothers you the most.  You can then set goals on what you want to prepare for.  Focus on one aspect at a time:  one week you focus on water, the following week, focus on food.  The next one you can concentrate on power outage supplies, etc.

I used to watch vampire, werewolf and zombie movies to get a good scare on Halloween.  These days, movies about pandemics, TEOTWAWKI (such as The Road), post apocalyptic themes are more terrifying.  I found I first have to face my fears before I can take steps to prepare.  It doesn’t matter if you can only prepare a little at a time.  Being prepared is the antidote to being afraid.

Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone!

 

 

Halloween Apartment Security

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Halloween Haunted House

Trick-or-treating isn’t just for kids living in suburbia. Kids everywhere love knocking on doors for candy, and apartment buildings are a sweet way to get tons of treats in the shortest distance! However, there are a couple of extra factors that come into play when celebrating this holiday, apartment security being one of them. If you’re expecting candy searching ghouls and goblins at your apartment this Halloween, follow these tips.

If You’re Expecting Trick-or-Treaters

  • Be Welcoming – Having decorations on your door will let trick-or-treaters know that you’re giving out the good stuff (candy). Maybe try these Halloween decorations for your apartment rental.
  • Beware of Dog – It’s always a good safety measure to keep dogs, cats, and other pets a safe distance from trick-or-treaters. Kids scare easily and some pets can get hostile or make a break for it out of the apartment, causing more of a headache.
  • Offer Trusted Treats Only – Parents have a lot to worry about when their children bring a bag-o-candy home, so give them a break by offering store-bought, pre-packaged treats.
  • Set The Stage – If you really love Halloween, go the extra mile. Hang a ghost from the trees in the front of your apartment building and put out some jack-o-lanterns.

Protecting Your Apartment

Halloween is an ideal time for vandals and burglars to attack. This goes the same for apartment dwellers. Here are some basic Halloween apartment security tips you can use if you plan on leaving or staying home at your apartment on Oct. 31.

  • Hold the Fort – Never allow anyone into your home, even if it’s the parent of a child. You never know who you’re letting into your apartment.
  • Lock Up – If you plan on leaving your apartment for the evening, don’t forget to lock your doors and windows. This should go without saying, but it’s amazing how many people still leave their doors unlocked, making the job for a burglar easier.
  • Set A Cut-Off Time – When I was growing up, our neighborhood had a cut-off time for trick-or-treating. For safety reasons, trick-or-treaters should be off the streets by 8 or 9. Answering your door after that exposes you to a greater risk of a home invasion or burglary.
  • Tweeting Your Halloween Plans – Some burglars scout their next target using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Try to avoid “tweeting” your Halloween plans, because if a burglar knows that you’re leaving your apartment vacant for the night, they’ll be tempted to strike.
  • Apartment Security System – If you have an apartment security system in place, don’t forget to arm it. It can be your first line of defense against an intruder or burglar. If you don’t have one, there are plenty of affordable DIY home security solutions out there that don’t require you to have a land line.

This guest post was written by Kevin Raposo, a blogger for SimpliSafe & Infobia.  Kevin covers issues related to home security, crime, safety, and consumer issues.  Kevin is a dedicated writer and musician, spreading the word through music and blogging. SimpliSafe is a leader in the wireless home security field.

 

ReadyMade Resources is a trusted source for your preparedness supplies:


Find products that are equally functional for wilderness survival as well as urban preparedness:

Happy Independence Day!

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I wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!  As we celebrate our country’s independence, let us remember all the heroism and sacrifice that went into gaining and maintaining our freedoms.  At the same time, it’s a good time to consider our own personal independence from whatever keeps us from living our best life:  freedom from debt, consumerism, destructive habits or even over-reliance on the system.  We can’t all be off-grid, but we can all learn to be a little bit more self-sufficient as our freedom loving ancestors had been.

Enjoy!

Easter Blessings to Everyone

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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead … 1 Peter 1:3

Amidst all the eggs and bunnies galore, let us all remember what we are truly celebrating.

I wish you all the joy and hope of Easter!

Happy New Year from Apartment Prepper

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The much anticipated (or dreaded) 2012 is here!   Even if you tried, it’s hard to miss all the doom and gloom apocalyptic themed shows with all sorts of predictions on 2012.  It’s also hard to discount that there have been all sorts of grim economic news, unprecedented natural disasters and a plethora of threats.  But let’s remember one thing:  we’re still here.  We’ll do the best we can to prepare and survive whatever comes along.  Best of all, we’ll do it together.

I wish you all a prosperous, safe and blessed New Year!

 

For fast and easy tips to become more prepared, read my book: