SCP Survival

Best Survival Gear and Supplies

The 72 Hour Home Emergency Kit

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Everyone needs to be able to take care of themselves for at least 3 days if any number of natural or man made disasters should occur. Consider the potential for blizzards, ice storms, severe thunderstorms, wind storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, gas leaks, even something as mundane as transformer failures or traffic accidents taking down power poles.

And a three day power outage (And we have seen three week power outages in the U.S. as recently as Superstorm Sandy for tens of thousands of people.) can be a disaster!

What are the basics for you to survive without electricity, water service, heat, cooling, or sewage disposal for 72 hours in your home? What is the least you need to survive this?

Think about a basic “survival box.”

The 72 Hour Box for In-Home Survival

  • An LED flashlight with extra batteries.
  • An LED lantern that is solar powered, hand crank or battery powered, with extra batteries.
  • One gallon of water per person per day. More if you have a way to cook.
  • Three days of canned, or non-perishable food, that can be eaten without cooking or minimal preparation and a MANUAL CAN OPENER.
  • Paper plates, plastic utensils and paper towels.
  • A battery powered radio with a NOAA Weather Radio tone alert, and extra batteries. Some emergency radios have solar and hand crank assist.
  • Toilet paper, moist towelettes, antiseptic wipes, sturdy garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation. If it looks like the electricity will be off for more than 12 hours, line your toilet bowl with a garbage bag (or put 2 together for sturdiness), fold over and put down the seat. You can tie shut after every use if need be.
  • Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, if notified to do so.
  • An N95 reusable dust mask to filter the air if needed.
  • Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place (This is considered specific to a nuclear disaster, but is important to survival in the winter as well to create a warm room.).
  • Heavy duty aluminum foil—to heat food with a candle in the oven, to face shiny side outward on windows in the summer to reflect excessive heat, to face inward on windows in the winter to reflect heat inside.
  • Whistle to call for help. SOS in Morse code, simplified version: short/long/short.
  • A Mylar emergency blanket will reflect back 90% of your body heat. Ideal for winter if you put one under your sheet facing up and one over your sheet and under your blankets facing down.

72 Hour Survival Items for Children

  • Formula and infant food for at least 3 days.
  • Disposable diapers for at least 3 days.
  • A handheld fan to keep them cool.
  • Warm blankets and emergency blankets to keep them warm.
  • Toys and games to entertain them.

Survival Items for Pets

  • Pet food and water for at least 3 days.
  • For sheltering-in, a “potty” corner with a lined tray and plastic baggies.

This is the absolute minimum you need to survive for 3 days without assistance. Do you have these items in your home? Easily accessible? Where you can find them in the dark if need be?

What is a Rocket Stove Heater?

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Rocket Stove Mass Heater After doing the Off-Grid series with the masonry heater this just caught my eye! An inexpensive owner-built masonry heater that uses sticks like a rocket stove! “Rocket mass heaters” in a nutshell:
  • heat your home with 80% to 90% less wood
  • exhaust is nearly pure steam and CO2 (a little smoke at the beginning)
  • the heat from one fire can last for days
  • you can build one in a day and half
  • folks have built them spending less than $20
The verbose details on rocket mass heaters: This could be the cleanest and most sustainable way to heat a conventional home. Some people have reported that they heat their home with nothing more than the dead branches that fall off the trees in their yard. And they burn so clean, that a lot of sneaky people are using them illegally, in cities, without detection. When somebody first told me about rocket mass heaters, none of it made sense. The fire burns sideways? No smoke? If a conventional wood stove is 75% efficient, doesn’t that mean the most wood you could possibly save is something like 25%? How do you have a big hole right over the fire and not have the house fill with smoke? I was skeptical. And then I saw one in action. The fire really does burn sideways. The exhaust is near room temperature – and very clean. The smoke doesn’t come back up because a huge amount of air is getting sucked into the wood hole. Neat! I sat on one that had not had a fire in it for 24 hours – it was still hot!”

Prepping Food Recipes: Frying Pan Stuffing

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How To Cook Frying Pan Stuffing Recipe (1)

Here’s another frugal and easy food choices for prepping, camping, and survival on a budget: Pan Fried Stuffing.

Learning how to cook some simple, hearty dishes is an important part of learning to be self-sufficient. It can also help you learn to utilize some items from your survival food list.

My daughter, Montana Storm, actually came up with how to make stuffing from leftover bread in a frying pan one day (she may have stumbled on this because all the pans were dirty!). I don’t know how, but became quite a hit in our family. And now I always have a bowl sitting on the back of the counter to catch the heels of bread, and leftover rolls and buns that will mold if not frozen or dried, for stuffing and meatloaf, meatballs, croutons, whatever.

Frying pan stuffing takes about five minutes to make and can be (depends on how you dress it up) oh so good!  It will fill the stomach, can be eaten alone (I like it with leftover gravy) or as part of a meal.

This is the basic recipe, from here it is all what you have available and your own personal taste palette.

Pan Fried Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 9-10 bread end pieces (white, wheat, French, rolls, buns, garlic)
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 1 c. boiling water
  • 1/2 med. onion, finely chopped½ tsp. sage
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Other optional ingredients I have used:

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or garlic salt
  • 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley or dried
  • More sage
  • Marjoram
  • Rosemary
  • Italian seasoning
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • Chives
  • Raisins
  • Walnuts
  • Apples diced
  • Cranberries
  • Cooked potatoes, makes almost a hash
  • Add bouillon to the water for more flavor

I also keep ice cubes of “drippings” from roasts, etc. to create a good soup stock, broth or gravy. Nuke a couple of these and it will make your stuffing oh so much more delicious!

  1. Dice (or tear) bread ends and measure about 4 1/2 cups.
  2. Melt butter in a large frying pan (or pot).
  3. Add onion and whatever else you’ve decided to add.
  4. Sauté over medium heat about 3 minutes.
  5. Add whatever you’ve decided to add in the way of spices and stir.
  6. Add boiling water or broth—yes, you can simmer this to make it even more savory and bring out the flavors in the spices.
  7. Stir and bring mix to a boil.
  8. Fork in the bread, turn off the stove (if using gas, move to another burner if using electric), stir and cover for about five minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6. Or two if this is the meal. ENJOY!

I would love to publish a series of “basic” recipes that people can add to, to taste. Just good frugal recipes, especially those with an eye toward using rice and beans.

Small Farm Income Ideas: How We Make Money Homesteading

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Due to their unique life off the grid, this intentional community has had to be extremely clever in how they can make money to support their homesteading. Here are some of their small farm income ideas:

Pizza Restaurant

Along the side of a gravel road an old farm wagon advertises pizza! Wood fired pizzas every Friday from 5-8 pm, May through October. This is just one of the homestead based businesses this family runs to make ends meet without an outside income.

The building behind the greenhouse is used on this evening as a restaurant. Note the wood fired pizza oven centered on the back wall. The player piano provides music and a chalkboard is used to announce the pizza menu available. “Bring your own plates, utensils, and beverage,” is clearly written on the chalkboard. A pizza picnic!

Al fresco dining is also available at two levels to take in the view of the gardens and pastures against the backdrop of limestone bluffs and deciduous forests.

Community Supported Agriculture

In between the indoor dining and the outdoor dining is a certified kitchen which is not only used for the pizza business but also the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from the extensive gardens. And when interns and workshops are given at the farm this is a communal eating and gathering area.

The gardens occupy perhaps two acres of land. Besides the families that live here, this garden has supported up to 30 CSA families as well. However, even though demand is increasing the cooperative has decided to cut the CSA families to 15 to not only better serve them but also to balance lifestyle desires with financial rewards for the members working the CSA.

Loft Turned Theater

The loft of the old barn has been converted to a theatre for local actors and comedians to ploy their trade on Friday evenings. It is also used for a “movie night” for the families who live on the farm. And in the winter, it again becomes storage for hay for the working animals on the farm.

Handmade Goods and Curiosities Shop

The Curiosity Shop houses the only telephone on the farm. A landline that is hooked up to an answering machine and checked daily. It also is a retail outlet for the various crafts and wares that the members of the cooperative create.

Classes, and Workshops

The cooperative also provides internship opportunities for people interested in CSA ventures. Workshops are held for horse farming and solar energy.

I asked about workshops were being planned for next year. The wife just smiled and said that they would be planning that over the winter.

Winter Is For Looking Back and Looking Forward

Winter is a time for this family to recuperate from the hectic three season schedule of greenhouse gardening, planting via horse cultivation, the intensive work of gardening for multiple families and the CSA, pizza nights, theatrical productions, workshops, interns and guests, putting up wood, and the harvest. It is a time to think about what worked and what didn’t, and to plan for the new year.

The silence provided by the great white blanket of snow that covers the north country can be therapeutic, not only for individuals, but families. Homeschooling provides a closeness that is enviable in today’s fast paced society of after-school activities and both parents working outside the home. This family revels in that quiet time of winter.

I have been invited to revisit this cooperative farm in the spring. They will know then what their venue will be for the summer.  If you have questions or comments, feel free to email me and I will try to answer them now, or then.

This is part of an off grid series, where I take you on a tour of the off-grid home without solar assist and a walk around the farm.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out the other posts featuring their: home without electricity, masonry heater, off grid water system, and gardening efforts.

My hope is that you will enjoy the experience as much as I did and perhaps learn, or remember, a bit of an older/newer lifestyle.

How to Start Prepping: 6 Essentials for Basic Survival at Home

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How To Start Prepping

More people than ever are getting curious about prepping with the state of the world as it is. Many people become overwhelmed, though, when they first get into prepping. The lifestyle change can be pretty dramatic for some, so it’s easiest to start with ways to prep at home. This article is going to give you some tips on how to start prepping, with a focus on prepping in the home. 

How to Start Prepping For Emergencies

1. Get Your Finances In Order

This may seem a bit out of the blue, but remember that the world, at least for the time being, runs on money. Going out and buying prepping supplies until you max out your credit card isn’t really going to do you any favors. There’s no guarantee that doomsday won’t be another major financial collapse or natural disaster that costs you thousands in-home repairs. 

Getting your finances in order is a multi-step process. Set aside income each month dedicated to paying off any debts. Invest in an identity theft monitoring service such as Lifelock or IdentityForce, it’s up to you which of the two big choices you use. This will help you make sure that your finances aren’t meddled with by other, malevolent parties. 

2. Out With The Old 

If you start collecting dry goods, weapons, tools, and other gear, you’re going to quickly end up with a house full of stuff. Before you go buying all of the supplies you want to have, it’s vital that you make room in your home for everything you need. This might involve clearing out a part of the house that will be dedicated to supplies. You’ll want enough room to have supplies easily accessible, not packed away in boxes. 

It doesn’t need to be a whole room either. You’re likely going to start with a small portion of supplies rather than create a huge stockpile right away. There are plenty of ways to prep even if you live in a small home or apartment. However, one of the first ways to make space is to go through your home and see what you don’t need anymore. 

Another aspect of prepping is getting rid of your old fears and attitudes. This can mean a lot of things for different people, but the gist is to let go of reasons to not fully commit to prepping. Whether you’re scared of the possibility of doomsday, or you’re afraid of what prepping will do to your family, you need to fully commit to the cause. Only when fully committed will you be able to embrace prepping and all of the benefits that it can have for your family. 

3. Get the Whole Family On Board

A family is only as prepared as its least committed member. Whether you’re the only one into prepping, or there’s a mix of attitudes on the subject, do your best to get everyone involved. Treat prepping as a family activity, with special time allotted to the practice. Everyone can learn survival skills together not only as a bonding activity but also so that you can ensure that everyone’s skills are satisfactory. 

Consult the rest of the family and find ways that you can incorporate their interests into your prepper training. Maybe one of your children wants to learn to hunt, or maybe your spouse wants to learn more about cooking. Whatever the case, embracing each individual’s interests is a great way to make sure everyone is getting something positive from this experience. These positive experiences can make it easier to deal with the stress of prepping, which can take a toll on your family if not well managed. 

If you can’t get everyone on board, it’s a good idea to have a plan to include your non-prepping family members in your emergency plans. 

4. Implement a Waste Removal System

Many new preppers get caught up in storing water, food, and gear that they forget about the problem of waste removal. When doomsday hits, there’s a chance that your current system will be unusable. It’s best to start planning for this ahead of time so that you don’t find yourself in a situation without a waste removal system. 

There may not be sanitation works after doomsday, so consider composting to get rid of your food waste. Most other items can biodegrade or be burned, such as cardboard packaging. If it comes in a container that can’t be composted, burned, or won’t biodegrade, don’t buy it. This way you won’t end up with piles of plastic trash outside of your home. 

5. Sustenance is Key 

It may seem more than obvious, but you’re going to need food and water, even when doomsday hits. It may seem like you can run on adrenaline alone, but this simply isn’t the case. It takes a long time to build up a food and water supply, so start slowly. Do some research on food items that keep well and begin purchasing them over time. Before you know it, you’ll have a year’s worth of food to satiate your entire family. If you need help pulling ideas together, check out this really thorough survival food list.  

As far as water is concerned, you don’t want to be underprepared. While humans can survive on less than ideal amounts of food, water is another story. Whether you’ve collected water in outside tanks, or in containers inside, make sure you have enough to keep everyone hydrated. Dehydration can kill in a matter of days, so you don’t want to wait until doomsday hits to collect enough water. 

6. Be Prepared to Leave Home

While it’s important to be prepared to be in your home for an extended period of time, there is a good chance that a time may come when you have to leave. Whether you’ve finally run out of provisions or there’s an unforeseen emergency, you need to be prepared to pick up and leave when the time comes. 

 Each member of the family should have a bag with some of the basics that can be grabbed at a moment’s notice. It’s also a good idea to assign roles to each member of the family that divides up the work in the event that the family must migrate. One child may be tasked with looking after the younger children, while another may be tasked with packing up the items that will be taken with the family. These roles will help minimize the amount of stress that occurs during this time. 

If you’re just starting out as a prepper, it can be overwhelming to know just where to start. With the help of these tips, you can begin prepping at home and expand into other areas of your life once you are more experienced.

Getting Older Sucks. Period.

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Do you wake up after a long night’s sleep and make an assortment of noises just walking to the bathroom? This is the reality of getting older. Aches and pains equal limitations on the ability to perform certain tasks either comfortably or possibly not at all.

It sucks. Period.

As humans, we do an incredible job of figuring out ways of doing things. I just watched a TV show where last week a woman had her arm bit off by a shark. She had the attitude – “The shark will not win. I will live and live my life to the fullest.”  Is she living in denial? I think she is just choosing her attitude. She could wallow in sorrow and be depressed  – or lift her head up high and take on the challenge that lies before her.

A big part of dealing with the challenges of getting older is mental. While pain may be physical and no amount of positive attitude will make it hurt less – living a more fulfilled life while dealing with the pain is possible.

Did I mention getting older sucks?

In my own existence, I have struggled lately with energy and stamina. While many people drink a cup of coffee every morning I take a 200mg caffeine pill and feel it has really made a difference in my energy and mental alertness. Stamina? Still struggling but part of that I know is I need to challenge myself and exercise more.