Pellet Rifle Article - Please read and provide feedback

My classmate over at Shooting Sports and Tough Times wrote a very good article on Pellets rifles for a SHTF scenario. I've been encouraging him to submit it to Survival blog, and perhaps during the semester break he'll work on it. Anyways, check out his essay, argument, and provide some feedback into what you think. We'll both be grateful for your time.

I'll be investing in two air rifles for my boys. It's a good training rifle, and a lot cheaper to shoot than 22LR.

Take Care and Keep Prepping - K

American Blackout On Youtube Link

We've been waiting to watch this, and it has finally arrived on Youtube. As most of you know, we don't have cable, but manage to get by without it. We may not see the Tv show that night, but we take notes, and save about $75/month.

Click HERE...

The Anaconda Economy

I've been swamped with school and trying to get back into the rut of things, so my apologies for a week long absence. I haven't forgotten about the blog, and have a few ideas for new posts, but only need the hours to bring them out and onto the keyboard.

The lower standard of living for this generation has "officially" been studied and published. Click here for the link. The article is circulated by The Guardian, which published the NSA information by Snowden. The title of the article sums it up for those that don't want to read it: Middle-class young will fare worse than their parents. Most of my blog readers know that I'm a big proponent of reading the news, using some critical thinking, and planning accordingly. The article further cements my thoughts that I'm on the right track in keeping our debt low, increasing our education, and preparing for the future by prepping.

"This will be controversial, but for the first time in over a century there is a real risk that the next generation of adults ends up worse off than today's generation. This is a problem for the children of parents with above-average incomes, not just a problem for those at the bottom. Many, many children face the prospect of having lower living standards than their parents." The slow economic squeeze, or Anaconda economy, will continue to force the people into lower and lower quality of life situations. I talked about a few things that can be done to counter the trend such as limiting your debt, getting more education, stockpiling food, and becoming more independent from the system.

I'm going to stand on my soapbox for a few minutes and be brutally honest with you. This isn't 1950s America in which we are the only industrialized nation left after WWII. We don't have an export surplus. The time when you worked for a company, retired, and they paid you a nice pension [and maybe medical] are over. The promise of Social Security and Medicare when you got older won't be around when you are older, and probably will be for people with absolutely no net worth. This isn't 1950s America, and the Leave it to Beaver American culture is gone. The slow squeeze of the Anaconda economy will continue.

Now, I will offer some hope. Wake up, this isn't the 1950s, that was 60 years ago! America is on the decline, and you had better prepare. The world is preparing for the US default, and so should you. Get out of debt is the best thing you can do, in good times or bad times. We are going to have to have a fundamental shift in our thinking, and go back to our Great Grandparents way of thinking.

My question for comments: What did your Grandparents do that needs to be done again for the future of your family?

My answer: We are already doing a lot of it. Living below our means, a deep pantry, and limited debt [house and car only]. We are lacking in our own food production, but have plans to expand it.

A must read by Code Name Insight

I should have seen the opportunity to take away a few lessons from the latest news. Thanks for reminding us why we prepare for the uncertain future. There will be a lot of collateral damage from the shut down, and maybe a few more preppers will be born.

The Government Shutdown

Well now that we are in to day two of the government shutdown, what are the lessons we can take away from this?

• There's very little you can do when it comes to the government.  Yes you can call your congressman, yes you can stick to CNN like it is your lifeline and become more depressed by the hour, yes you can rant on online forums.  None of that will do much good.
• This is why you should vote.
• This is also why you should have both a fat and fluffy emergency fund and be debt free.
• And why (especially in this instance if you are a government employee) you should have multiple streams of income.
• Plus this is yet another example of why you can't depend on anyone other than yourself (your job, your income, your government military pension...all shot to hell at the whim of your elected governing officials).
• Although unlikely, if this shutdown goes on for more than a month, you will see civil unrest (are you prepared for such an event?)

tldr; no matter what is happening in in the world at large, YOU are responsible for yourself which is why preparedness is so freaking important.  You need to be prepared for anything anyone can throw at you.  You need to prepare now.

Posted by Code Name Insight at 9:29 AM

Source

Free Calendars (Just Print)

The above average student uses their time to their advantage, and the frugal student finds free printable calendars. This is one of my favorite time management websites that allows me to print a hard copy for school work. I'll pencil in quiz dates, test dates, assignments dates, and study group meetings. My advice for any student is to make your calendar a good friend, and use your time to your advantage.

My calendar from my first full semester at Radiography school.

Here's the website to print your own calendars!

Of course, you can print various calendars for your homestead. A garden calendar would be useful reference to look back and see when you started your fall garden last year, weeding, mowing, harvests, and other garden information. Plus, a hard copy is useful during the winter months when you are planning next year's garden, and it's EMP proof!

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Manly Stuff For When The SHTF

Once again, I was thinking about the "small things" that would make life a little bit easier nicer when it hits the fan. I figure that fashion will turn towards functionality once again, but fashion has never really been about function...has it? The colors will reflect more of the seasons rather than the walkways of New York, and over-priced apparel will be a long forgotten memory. Once again, hairstyles will be practical, and beards will appear on a majority of men. ( This is where I tie into the post title )  Razors will be a luxury that most will do without, and a good pair of scissors will bring a good rate of return on your investment. With a little planning, you can save money, and have a clean shaven face, both before and after it hits the fan.

In the initial decline, I'll be sporting my newly grown gray, as a way to blend into the crowds. After the Golden Horde withers and dies, the beard can be shaved clean during the summer months. I've had a beard during the summer months, and they are too hot and itchy.

I've used a brush and mug, and it really saves quite a bit of money in the long run. The soap cakes usually lasts about a year, and at 99 cents each, they are a lot cheaper than shaving cream. Isn't this what prepping is partially about? Making things last, and saving money for the long term. One thing that I'll be researching is finding a razor that uses the actual razor blades as a long term solution.

The mugs, brushes, and soap cakes would also make excellent barter items! Currently, razors are fairly cheap, and hard to make, so it is well suited as a barter item. It also takes up little room while being a desirable personal grooming item. It could even possibly be used as a post SHTF business plan. Remember those western movies...they always had a barber shop.

I've also added a few new items to My Amazon store. A reasonably priced mug, shaving brush, and soap cake kit for $9.99. Another item that is often overlooked might be scissors for the mustache. While purchases are appreciated through My Amazon store, please look around for the best possible prices.

Anyone have a SHTF razor that they use?  Comments are always welcomed and encouraged.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

UPDATE: After a bit of research, you might find this article interesting. It is about the art of shaving.

The Nerd in Me and Ammo Trends

I like to nerd out, and research topics that interest me. So, I present to you a new tool for your research bag. Google trends.

One of my newer posts has had a steady hit, and climbed into the top ten most popular posts. The Ammunition Availability Poll 2013 has had about 14 to 20 hits per day. Plug in "ammo", which was a more popular search request than "ammunition", and you get this graph.

You can zoom into a closer time frame, here is the same graph over 12 months.

Be sure to set the regional interest to the United States for a state by state guide.

.223 graph - Look at that spike and the American Redoubt.

The 2nd Amendment? Wyoming wins first prize in the search index while Hawaii is last. California near the bottom too.

The graph shows the last ammo shortage of 2009, and compares them based on search engine key words.

Draw your own conclusions. Insert different search words and see what you find.

You can also overlay 5 different key words to the graph to make your own relationships between them.

The forecast option on the graph is also quite interesting. But I'd like to know more about how they forecast these trends. I'm sure it is an algorithm, patented of course.

Comments?

Keep Right On Prepping - K

For my Blogging Friends - Ammunition Depot still has some good deals. No .223/5.56 but some other ammo I haven't seen available elsewhere. 9mm,.45,.40, and

				Wolf 7.62mm x 39mm 123 Grain FMJ WOLF76239 Ammunition - a - 20 Round Box
				Price / Box: $9.97

Expiration Dates

Just a short post today, I was wondering about the storage life of teabags. I can live without coffee, although I might be banned from the house, but tea needs to be available for dinners and the caffeine.
Currently, tea is readily available and cheaper to stockpile than coffee, so this makes it our frugal choice for a quick caffeine fix.

Now to figure out how to make ice with no power!

Oh, 18 months without any changes to the packaging is the shelf life of unopened tea bags. We will be putting them in mylar bags with Oxygen absorbers, so I'm pretty sure the life can be extended to maybe 5 years. While this is only a guess, I'm not aware of any studies to check my information. I'll let you know in  5 years :-) 

The point of this article is to plug a website for food storage shelf life. Still Tasty:Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide is today's link.

Keep Right On Prepping -K

Alert - Evolve Bleach Tablets for prepping

I picked these up at my local store, and I was excited to find a 32 count bottle of Ultra Concentrated BLEACH tablets for less than $3.00.

But wait, here is the kicker. On the right hand side in very, and I mean very, small print it says, " Not for sanitation or disinfection". Really? Bleach should kill pathogens. So, this means it isn't or can't be used for water purification. I did email Evolve about 3 weeks ago and asked these very same questions. Can it be used for water purification? Does it kill bacteria and viruses? So far, I haven't received an email in return.

I decided that if they wouldn't respond, I'll do my own digging around. Bleach has a chemical formula of NaOCl or sodium hypochlorite for the chemists.

Evolve has the chemical formula of Sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate 25-100% , Citric acid monohydrate 1-10% , and Sodium carbonate 1-10%. These were taken from the MSDS, that can be seen here

Evolve is NOT bleach and should NOT be used for water purification.

If you are looking for a granular form of water purification that is easy to store, then take a look at pool shock, it's chemical formula is calcium hypochlorite. It is an excellent form of water purification, and comes in a dry form that is easier to store than liquid bleach. Bleach has a recommended shelf life of 6 months to a year. I've also provided a link to Survival Mom's PDF on the use of Pool Shock for water purification.

So, just an informative FYI to help everyone save money.

I've also include a search engine result from Google for using pool shock to purify water if you'd like to research further into the topic.

I actually found real MRE reviews

Source from Utah Local News...link provided at bottom


Let's be perfectly fair: A military Meal, Ready-to-Eat has to be able to withstand an airdrop from thousands of feet, last in storage at temperatures of 100 degrees for six months, and sate the ravenous hunger of - and provide a full day's worth of calories for - a U.S. Marine, for example, after a hard day at war.

Given those parameters, the MREs provided by the U.S. military to its combat troops - some of whom prefer the names "Meal, Rarely Edible" and "Meal, Rejected by the Enemy," among other, less printable designations - might simply be the best the Pentagon can do.

After all, you go to war with the grub you've got, right?

And in any case, GIs aren't supposed to have to live on MREs for long. The high-sodium, high-calorie meals are intended to be consumed for no more than 30 days - a period that presumably gives the Army time to set up a respectable mess tent.

Over the past year in Iraq in particular, however, things haven't quite worked out that way. As part of the overall surge strategy, many troops who previously may have dined on large forward operating bases have found themselves in small community outposts where the day's meal of choice often comes in a heavy-duty brown plastic bag.

Each bag includes an entree and, often, a side course or special sauce; crackers and cheese, nut or jelly spread; a dessert item and a powdered beverage mix. The package also includes a heating bag in which, when water is added, a chemical reaction will cook the entree in less than 10 minutes - the bag has also been known to be used by bored soldiers to make small bombs.

The military claims that each MRE menu item is subjected to rigorous taste testing before being sent into battle. But in a political environment where it has become mantra that "nothing is too good" for our nation's military men and women, we began to wonder:

Would an MRE pass muster with a gourmet?

To find out, we invited three of Utah's chefs to The Salt Lake Tribune's conference room, where we proceeded to subject our valiant volunteers to thousands upon thousands of calories in the form of such delicacies as "Chile with Beans" and "Veggie Burger with BBQ Sauce."

It's possible that even Vice President Dick Cheney might conclude our little experiment constituted a violation of the Geneva Conventions, but as eccentric Frenchman and Park City chef Jean-Louis Montecot replied when we invited him to our little food fest, "anything for our boys in uniform!"

MATTHEW D. LAPLANTE can be contacted at mlaplante @sltrib.com or 801-257-8713. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib .com.



The taste test

Jean-Louis Montecot, joined by Salt Lake City chefs Emily Gassman of Em's Restaurant and Adam Kreisel of Acme Burger Co., ranked each of 18 MRE entrees on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Here we present the results of their reviews, a few selected comments and, of course, some recommended beverage pairings, which wouldn't be permitted in Iraq or Afghanistan (where alcohol consumption is prohibited under military rules) but might make the whole experience just a little more palatable.



Chili with Beans

Average Rating: 5.3

Most of the chefs made a comparison to canned chili. "Kind of chalky tasting, but probably not a bad meal in the desert," Montecot said. "Basic but solid," added Kreisel.

Wine/beer pairing: Nut Brown Ale



Cheese Tortellini

Average rating: 4.3

"The tortellini alone was OK," Gassman said. "But the sauce has a medicine taste." Kreisel also was disappointed. "The texture is not really like pasta," he said. And Montecot agreed. "A little too much like baby food," he said.

Wine/beer pairing: Sauvignon blanc



Pork Rib

Average Rating: 3

Kreisel had tried this one before, "once, when I was drunk with some friends." This time around, a sober Kreisel said the meal "tastes like nitrates mixed with liquid smoke." Gassman said simply, "I wouldn't order it twice."

Wine/beer pairing: Squatters IPA



Beef Ravioli

Average Rating: 4

Gassman wasn't impressed with the heartiness of this meal. "It's OK as an appetizer," she wrote. "I wouldn't eat it as an entree."

Wine/beer pairing: Spanish Monastrell



Cheese & Vegetable Omelet

Average rating: 2.3

Kreisel was dumbfounded. "I'm curious how this could be described as an omelet," he wondered. "It doesn't really taste like eggs or vegetables or cheese. There's very much a refried bean-like taste and texture." "It looks terrible!" Montecot added. "Visually not appealing," Gassman concluded.

Wine/beer pairing: Kris Pinot Grigio



Chicken Breast

Average rating: 2.3

How badly can you screw up chicken breast, really? "This almost tastes like really crappy tuna!" Kreisel complained. "The aroma is similar to my dog's kibble." Montecot added: "They're going to forget what chicken tastes like and enjoy cardboard instead."

Wine/beer pairing: Bud Light



Chicken Fajita

Average rating: 1.3

"Seriously," Kreisel said, "this one is ridiculous - the texture of the chicken in the sauce was worse than it was by itself." Gassman agreed: "There was even less flavor than the chicken by itself!"

Wine/beer paring: Corona Light



Chicken with Salsa

Average rating: 2.7

Montecot seemed relieved to find something edible called chicken, "this is better than the others - I like the spiciness in it." Gassman wasn't impressed: "They should bag all the chicken dishes," she said. Kreisel split the difference, "a little more serviceable," he concluded, "but the texture is still not very friendly."

Wine/beer pairing: Corona



Beef Patty

Average rating: 3.7

"This beef doesn't really taste like beef," Kreisel complained. But everyone agreed that the sauce saved this meal. "Just like the French" Montecot mused, "just top it off with a good sauce and you are rolling!"

Wine/beer pairing: Coppola Zin-Syrah-Cab blend.



Beef Stew

Average rating: 4.3

"OK, some recovery here," an obviously relieved Kreisel said. "Some veggies, some potato - it actually tastes something like the name would suggest." Gassman was less enthralled. "It tastes like a cheap canned soup that you haven't added water to," she said.

Wine/beer pairing: Beaujolais



Tuna

Average Rating: 4.7

No one loved it - "I wouldn't serve it at a wedding reception," Montecot said - but everyone agreed this was another serviceable, though not very filling, choice. "Bagged tuna - 'nuff said," Kreisel said. "This one would be OK as a snack, but it's not very satisfying as a meal."

Wine/beer pairing: Sancerre



Spicy Penne Pasta

Average Rating: 5

Montecot was actually impressed. "I love the spice in this one," he said. "It looks good and smells good!" Gassman conceded that this meal "has flavor - not bad for a vegetarian option," she said.

Wine/beer pairing: Sangiovese



Veggie Burger with BBQ Sauce

Average Rating: 4.3

Everyone agreed: The veggie burger was better than the beef burger. Still, Kreisel lamented, "it doesn't really strike you as 'veggie' and it has a weird after-taste."

Wine/beer pairing: Hefeweizen



Beef Enchilada

Average rating: 5.3

The chefs seemed impressed that this meal actually looked like what it was called. "This can actually pass for Mexican food!" Kreisel rejoiced. "The texture was good and the sauce had some spice to it," Gassman said.

Wine/beer pairing: Dos Equis



Chicken with Noodles

Average rating: 5.7

After more than a dozen entrees, Gassman seemed relieved to find one that was passingly edible. "This is the best so far," she said. "It tastes, looks and feels like chicken with noodles!" Kreisel agreed: "It's sort of like Campbell's," he said. "Definitely solid as a meal."

Wine/beer pairing: Gewurztraminer



Sloppy Joe

Average rating: 3.3

"This might be considered some kind of sandwich," Kreisel said, "but it's definitely not a sloppy Joe." Montecot concurred: "Leave this one alone" he said.

Wine/beer pairing: Anchor Steam



Beef Roast with Vegetables

Average rating: 4

Montecot wasn't sure "beef" was the right word for this meat. "It's more like warm Spam with a good sauce," he said. Kreisel gave slightly higher marks: "Pretty much like canned stew," he said.

Wine/beer pairing: Syrah



Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Average rating: 5.3

The chefs were all over the map on this one. "I can definitely survive on this!" Montecot raved. He gave this dish an 8, the highest mark of any chef for any meal. Gassman was far less thrilled. "Medicine taste," she said, rating this pasta a 3. Kreisel split the difference, handing out a 5, "it is what it says it is," he said.

Wine/beer pairing: '43 Chateau Lafite

Source: on link.

Basic First Aid Kit - A great link

Just an FYI for everyone, Monsoon Matriarch over at Frugal Prep has posted an excellent article on building your emergency first aid kit.  It is always cheaper, and you'll get better quality gear if you build one yourself rather than buying one off the shelf. If you have a few minutes or wondering "where do I start?" this is an excellent resource. Plus, you'll get the chance to check out a new blog, if you haven't already.

$10 for Two Dinners - Grilled Chicken and Chicken Dumplings

This is a new routine that I have been doing for cheap dinners for the family. The chicken and dumplings recipe is from my very country Ex-mother-in-law.

Finished Product w/ pepper on top

I purchased two whole chickens for under $10.00. I should have taken a picture, but the total came to $8.94. We added a few veggies for the grilled chicken on our first meal, and it all came in under $10.00

I'm going to save people a lot of money over their life time by posting this video. It's how to cut your own chicken...I did the math and it comes to about $26.00/hour that you can save for your time. This is one of the best videos on Youtube for learning how to cut your own chicken. It's only 4:23 minutes, and cutting a whole chicken while watching it was very helpful the first few times.

The first dinner I grilled two chickens to feed the family. This was to make sure that we had leftovers to use for the chicken and dumplings. I'd like to say a special thanks to Pioneer Woman Cooks Ree Drummond for the great pictorials of her recipes. I liked the idea so much, I'll be using her technique.

A large stockpot and 4 quarts ( 1 gallon ) of warm water.

1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon  per Quart of water

Add your chicken necks, backs, and any other scraps to the chicken stock

Cook the chicken until done on a simmer.

Okay, when a recipe says simmer it means just barely boiling. Bring it to a boil, then keep knocking it down a few notches on the dial until it is just barely making bubbles. All of this is happening while I'm grilling the chicken outside. Cook the chicken until it is done - around 30-45 minutes.

After the stock is done, I like to refrigerate it and save it for tomorrow night. Pull the chicken out of the stock and refrigerate them too.

Clean the leftover grilled chicken, remove the skin, and put in a baggie.

The next day, I'll pick and clean the chicken stock scraps since they are cool. 


DAY TWO: Bring the stock back to a boil. Collect a cup of warm stock to use for the dumplings.

Here is the cleaned chicken from the night before ready to be added to the stock. Be sure to clean the backs for any meat that can be added to the dumplings.

The skin shouldn't be used in the finished product, but be sure to use it for the stock....it's flavor!

One cup of flour for the dumplings. Don't be scared because this is real easy!

Make a flour volcano with the flour on a cutting board.

Add enough warm stock to make the "lava" in the volcano. Don't worry about how much liquid to add because you really want to have too much to start. We are going for a certain texture of the dumplings.

Mix it up and make a dough. It should feel a bit softer than playdough. Add more flour until you get the right consistency.

Spread it out very thin!

I placed a dollar near the cutting board for a comparison shot. Cut the dough with a butter knife.

To give you an idea of how thick.

Bring the stock w/ the chicken to a rolling boil before adding the raw dumplings.

Add the raw dumplings one at a time, then reduce to a simmer.

Notice that it took an hour and the drop in the liquid level in the pot.

Sample the dumpling to make sure that they don't have a "doughy" feel...you'll know it if they aren't done yet.

My plate!

Row's new favorite soup!

If you really wanna go Southern, serve with a loaf of white bread to "sop up the juices".

Enjoy!

Comments or questions are always welcome.

How to Research Fish Antibiotics for When IT Hits The Fan

=== DISCLAIMER===

All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. I cannot and do not give medical advice. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before purchasing any product(s). The information should not be considered complete and should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation or advice of your physician and/or other health care provider. I do not recommend the self-management of health problems. This Information may not be complete. Should you have any health care-related questions, please call or see your physician or other health care provider promptly. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.

=== DISCLAIMER===

Now, with the legalities out of the way. This is what I have found in regards to fish antibiotics and the hypothetical human use for when IT hits the fan.

First and foremost, I would make sure that the pills have a United States Pharmacopeia, or USP.   " This is a compendium recognized officially by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that contains descriptions, uses, strengths, and standards of purity for selected drugs and for all of their forms of dosage."

Secondly, I would make sure that it is an antibiotic that I have taken for a previous reason. This greatly reduces the risk of an allergic reaction.

Third, I would start my stockpile of medicines for the most common ailments for your family. For my clan this would include ear infections, upper respiratory infections, strep throat, and Urinary Tract Infections.

For the purpose of this exercise, I'll choose strep throat, since that is why I am currently taking medication.

• Open new page to Google.
• In the search box, type "webmd.com" and your ailment. Ex:  "webmd.com strep throat" ( link for example)

According to webmd.com, "Antibodies such as penicillin, cephalexin, or amoxicillin are used to treat strep throat infection." ( http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/strep-throat-medications ).

Next, I'll need to figure out the dosing schedule for amoxicillin for an adult. This is very important since the dosage will vary from an adult to a  child.

• Open new page to Google
• In the search box, type "drugs.com dosage amoxicillin"  ( link for example ).

I plugged "drugs.com dosage amoxicillin" into Google and got this :  Dosage Schedule   (http://www.drugs.com/dosage/amoxicillin.html ).  

After a lot of research and personally buying the medicine, I would recommend this site medicine. This is the direct website from where we purchase our antibiotics. It has the USP and is also an American manufacturer.

Make sure to printout any information in case of power failure.

I added The Doom and Bloom (tm) Survival Medicine Handbook to the recommended list onto  My Amazon store. Link Here


As always, comments are welcome and encouraged. Keep Right On - K

UPDATE POST ON 09-04-2012

I have provided a link to Fish Antibiotics.org . They have Youtube videos of the actual pills and descriptions so that you can further research the medicines. This website is an excellent resource.

I have also removed the link to My Amazon store, since Amazon no longer carries any aquarium medicines.

Sources:
http://thomaslabs.com/category/64-fish-antibiotics.aspx
http://www.truthistreason.net/guide-to-veterinary-drugs-for-human-consumption-post-shtf
http://www.shtfblog.com/are-fish-antibiotics-safe-for-human-consumption/
http://preparednesspro.com/fish-antibiotics/
http://www.drugs.com/imprints.php
http://www.doomandbloom.net/2011/10/fish-antibiotics-in-a-collapse.html  (Best site)
http://www.emedexpert.com/conditions/strep-throat.shtml
http://www.drugs.com/dosage/amoxicillin.html
http://www.fishantibiotics.org/

Cutting the cord with ROKU XS - NO cable bill & Install Link

One of my followers has posted a nice post about the ROKU player. It allows you a ton of content and allows you to "cut the cord" on your cable bill. CNN Money pegs the average monthly cable bill to $86 per month ( http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/06/news/companies/cable_bill_cost_increase/ ). That is $1032.00 a year.

 I have a ROKU XS on top of my television ( with a Netflix subscription for $8.00/month) and haven't missed a day of cable television. That's a $936.00 a year in savings...Hey, it's more money for preps..and the kids get their cartoons! The adults get Pandora, a music site for the TV that is personalized for you by you. Oh, and very few commercials...we really like that one. Also, for the tech savvy, it has a UBS port that can play mp4 and .mkv files. These types of files are usually downloaded from various sites.

Twins N Tidbits Link

The above link has an excellent photo shoot of the complete setup. Check it out.

 I have provided a link to my Amazon Store for those interested...($10 cheaper than China-mart).

ROKU  ran a special at Mother's Day and have one for this Father's Day too...$10 off...so wait for a sale or buy it now.  I imagine that they will have one of July 4th too ( unsure about this though ).


Keep looking for ways to reduce your bills and Keep Right On -K

Tyler Bend - Buffalo National River

 America's First National River

I was going back through some old photos on my computer and ran across these of Tyler Bend on the Buffalo National River. This public campground is on the middle section of the river, which means the river is good for canoeing year round. The Bull Shoals dam on the White River affects the water level of the Buffalo National River's lower half because the dam is located near the conflux.

The campground is nice. I prefer going during the middle of the week, so that I see fewer people. The campground has a visitors center, bathrooms, and water.

Here are a few links that are a lot better than what I could do:

National Park Service

Recreation dot gov

Buffalo River Outfitters : I have not personally used them, but have heard good things.

Map : Great overview of most of the Buffalo National River.

This campground is accessible for all vehicles.

Keep Right On - K

MRE Monday - Chicken With Tomatoes And Feta Cheese

Happy Memorial Day and a big Thank You to all of our veterans!

Nutritional Information:
Calories 210 Calories from fat:60
Total Fat:7g - 11% Daily Value (DV)
Saturated Fat:3.5g - 18% DV
Cholesterol: 65mg - 22% DV
Sodium: 1110 mg - 46% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 4g - 1% DV
Dietary Fiber: 1g - 4% DV
Sugars: 2g
Protein 30g
Vitamin A: 2%
Vitamin C: 10%
Calcium: 15%
Iron: 10%

Expectations:
I read somewhere to keep my expectations low when eating MRE's. I am a self-described foodie and with nearly 30 years in the restaurant industry, I still think that food should look and taste good. That being said, I  imagined that it would be like the pulled chicken  consistency from a few weeks ago. The sauce, I had no idea what to expect, but I kinda keep it between low and edible.

Reality:
The package was a nice size ( 8 oz. ) and a good sign for a dinner entree. I heated it up with boiling water, then opened it up and put it onto the plate seen above. I was pleased to see a whole chicken breast with rib meat. The sauce looked good, I would describe it as a creole type sauce. The two boys had a bite waiting on their forks when they came into the kitchen. Both ate it, but didn't ask for more. This wasn't a big surprise, but neither one spitting it out was a surprise. Neither asked for more. Sweetheart said that the sauce was a little off, and couldn't quite place the taste issue. I might be correcting this later, but I think that she could eat another one if a crisis situation developed. I actually liked it. It wouldn't be my first choice to order this on a menu, but I found it mildly spicy with the chicken breast having a good texture. The feta cheese was far off in the background flavor, barely detectable, but wished it had been more pronounced.

Final Thoughts:
I would order a few more. I guess this is the best compliment that I could give a product. What really worries me is appetite fatigue for the boys. I am wondering if any of the products would satisfy my young boys hunger pangs. The good thing about MREs is that each person can pick and choose what meal they want that day/night. I would rate this a 6/7 on a scale of 1 to 10. Not really excited about it, but I'd eat it.

Clothes Washer Soap Recipes

Here are 10 different recipes for clothes washer detergent. I'll post pictures soon of this project and cost analysis.

Clothes Soap Recipes

Ultralight Backpacking Cache or SHTF Cache - Part 2 of 2

SHTF ( Shit Hits the Fan ) Cache Version:

While this is hypothetical, I do have quite a bit of experience with backpacking caches. For the first part, here is the link that will open it in a new window.


Personally and ideally, I would place a cache at each ( or near ) stop if I had to walk home. This stop would probably be for the night, since I would be in a hurry to get home. The cache gives me a couple of advantages: I will look like everyone else when headed home, and I'll have less to carry. It will also make me a less likely target for begging, robbery, and/or questioning. Here is the Grey ManTheory.

The location will require planning and some foresight while you're driving home. Occasionally, I make a game out of drive time and point of various locations that might or might not be an excellent location for holing up. These locations can be evaluated throughout the year. Consider security and also take into consideration the Highway Dept. and mowing and maintenance. Weather conditions....snow, covering the site and making it harder to find. The depth of the cache needs to be deeper than the frost line. In my area, it is around 1 to 2 feet.

Some items that I would include and why:

• 2 water bottles - one to drink immediately, and one to purify water while the other is drinkable OR Water Filtration Bottle.
• fresh socks, underwear - discard old ones
• $1.00 plastic "emergency" poncho - improv rain gear.
• napkins from any fast food restaurant - toilet paper, tissue, and kindling.
• Compass on a lanyard under shirt.
• Bandana with a custom map created with a sharpie. Rolled up as a headband while traveling.
• lighter - obvious reasons.
• water tablets
• aspirin/tylenol
• Military MRE peanut butter/cheese spread & wheat snack bread
• Any food item that can withstand a 5 year burial.
• hard candy - share for info along route / conversation starter.
• hints as to next cache - perhaps?
• laminated photos on family - motivation.
• MRE drink mixes ( 2 )
• small hotel soap - packaged in mylar bag to prevent scent transfer/contamination. I sleep better clean.
• ammunition w/ magazine for CCW weapon. Empty mag with bullets in mylar bag for moisture protection.
• Favorite MRE meal.

MRE to freeze dried to other foods comparisons

I thought that this information was very well laid out and meshed nicely with my series on MREs. So here's the link

Or if you want to cut and paste:

http://preparednessadvice.com/food_storage/comparisons-of-mres-to-dehydrated-freeze-dried-and-other-foods-2/#.T3ITStUZdPy

-K

Synergy

   I had a pleasant surprise yesterday while looking through the blog stats...I am listed on a blog roll that I knew nothing about. Deliberate Independance had my site on her/their blog reading list. Thanks. We share a lot of the same ideals and seem to be kindred spirits. A homestead, independence, living within our means, and the satisfaction of hard work all some of our shared values. Check her out and click through a few links if possible. TIP: I like to right-click and open in a new tab, that way I don't lose the page I really want to be on. 
 So, check out someone's blog list and see what you might find.