Why Have a Personal Preparedness Mindset

Why Have a Personal Preparedness Mindset
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Personal preparedness means different things depending on who you are and what your situation is.  To an inhabitant of the Florida Keys, preparedness means having items to outlast a hurricane.  To a city dweller, preparedness might be having a can of mace in her purse. To a survivalist, preparedness might mean having a semi trailer loaded with M14 rifles buried in the back yard. Depending on the situation, any of these definitions might be appropriate. Whatever your situation, cultivating a personal preparedness mindset is the key to thriving in times of adversity.

Personal preparedness is simply knowing what dangers are likely to befall you and taking reasonable precautions to avoid or survive them.  In today’s modern world, insurance is a required item.  No one laughs at a car owner that buys a full coverage policy for his or her car.  As a matter of fact, a driver that fails to insure their car is looked upon as irresponsible, sometimes even criminal.  The same thing can be said about homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, life insurance, and health insurance.  Today people take out money for retirement in the form of IRA’s, 401K’s, mutual funds and the like.  No one faults them.  Why is it then that someone who has a pantry of stored food, candles, a rifle or two, and ammunition for them is considered crazy or dangerous?  Isn’t it a logical extension of the doctrine of insurance?  After all insurance is merely a device to lessen the extent a disaster has on your life.  If having an extra insurance policy for break-ins is smart, then the idea of someone breaking into your home is possible.  If it is likely that someone might break into your home, then having a means to protect yourself is justified.

Each year natural disasters occur in the United States.  When these occur, the news media rushes to the scene.  It never fails that they show a relief organization van at the disaster site.  Usually there is an interview with someone who is standing in line looking for help.  The site is common; a desperate parent with a hungry child waiting for someone to give them some milk for their infant.  Ratings soar and people feel sorry for this poor child.  Consider this, areas prone to natural disaster are known.  Floods happen on a regular basis.  Places like Tornado Alley have been recognized and named.  If the choice is made to live in an area like this and the basic precautions are not taken, then pity is not the logical emotion.  Irresponsibility on the part of the parent caused the child’s pain; it only takes a few extra seconds to grab a couple extra bottles of formula.  Why didn’t they take this simple precaution?  They probably paid the cable bill.  Does that expense outweigh the measly cost of a gallon of bottled water?

Organizations like the American Red Cross and the Office of Homeland Security suggest that each family have a few days of essential items to get them through an emergency.  Doing this is not hard nor does it have to be expensive.  No one says that preparedness means having a years supply of freeze dried steak in a concrete storage bunker.  Simply buying a can or two of extra food every time you go shopping is enough.  Buy an extra box of garbage bags, some extra toilet tissue, or any item you have to have.  Store it in a box under the bed, or in the closet.  In hardly any time at all, you will soon have a store pile that will give you not only an added measure of security, but also a sense of well-being.  Rotate this stock out.  As you eat a box of macaroni, buy another.  Forget that you have four boxes on your kitchen shelf.  This causes you not to feel over burdened financially to support your prepared lifestyle.  It also keeps your store fresh.  An added benefit is that your safety net is familiar to you.  In the stressful time of disaster, you don’t have the added stressor of eating unfamiliar foods chosen not by your appetite, but by their shelf life.

It is easy to lecture on what items are needed.  Lists of essential items depend on lifestyle and location as much as physical needs.  It would be irresponsible to dictate what equipment your family would need to survive without knowing you or your situation.  You must sit down and decide what your family’s priorities are, and from that list correlate your family’s needs.

It is not important what others say or think of you.  It is not even recommended to tell your neighbors you find the need to be prepared for life.  Does it matter if they think you are crazy for stocking up added groceries?  Will it matter if your children or spouse suffer because you want to keep the good graces of the people 2 doors down?

Can Organizer Review

Can Food Organizer Review with a 4 Year Update

 

Gear Review: Can Food Organizer
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The cardinal rule of food storage is store what you eat and eat what you store.   In my home we eat can food, and we go to the local ALDI and buy our can food by the flat.  Now we do mark the month and year on the top of each can with a sharpie, but it seems like we always end up with the newest flat of cans on top of the older cans.  It also is hard to see exactly what is it the cans.  I have been searching for a solution, and have found a few options online.

Some are DIY cardboard organizers that you cut and glue from old boxes, others are large plywood and metal track affairs, you can even buy commercial options from small versions for thirty dollars to large scale rolling shelves for a few hundred.

This Option is Both Good and Inexpensive

A simple internet search of “can food rotator” will lead you to all of them.  I found a good compromise in cost, ease, and size.  I bought 7 sets of cardboard can food organizers from www.canorganizer.com to organize my kitchen and pantry.  These sets contain 4 sheets of die cut cardboard, and each sheet folds into one rotator box.  They are strong enough to stack (I tested them by stacking full organizers 4 across and 4 high on my dryer).

The can food organizers come in two sizes, Cupboard (which is shorter and holds 9 soup cans) or Pantry (which is deeper and holds 18 soups cans)

Cupboard costs 11.96 for a four pack, Pantry costs 15.96 for a 4 pack.

They are strong enough to carry full of cans.  Additionally, I moved them around a lot while trying to decide how I wanted to use them.  For added strength you could wrap a loop of tape around them.

My only complaint is a minor one, the instruction video moves a little fast and they don’t come with any additional documentation, so the first organizer I made took me a couple minutes of backing up and replaying specific parts of the video translate it to the actually cardboard sheet.  That’s a minor complaint, because after the first one, folding the next one is really easy.  I really like the can organizers, as they are a good balance of cost and effectiveness.  They do exactly what they are advertised as doing.

Here is a Update after Four Years and a Move

 

 

Tips For Non-Carpenters on How to Build Your Own

Tips For Non-Carpenters on How to Build Your Own

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I am not a carpenter by profession. However, I have a strong desire for the carpentry work. I have a passion for the woodwork.

You cannot deny the fact that carpentry is a significant job and almost all the home needs it for some or other reason. Actually, it beautifies your home interior and brings comfort to your premises.

This guest post will show some tips for non-carpenters that can help you build your own stuff.

It’s all about the bare necessity of life. Can you imagine a living room without a chair to sit, or a kitchen without a cabinet, a garage without a wardrobe or a dining room without a table? Of course, buying furniture is a costly affair.

Tips For Non-Carpenters on How to Build Your OwnIn my opinion, it is a really a better idea to build your own furniture. While building your home furniture you can give it a customized design as per your choice and requirement. It will save money and satisfy your woodworking passion as well.

So all you need is to learn some tips and tricks for building furniture. For me, building furniture is all about pleasure and joy. However, you need some necessary tools for the work.

Steps For a Woodworking Novice:

There is some manual and machine woodworking tool which can ease your work. Using the tools you will get a great perfection. This article will educate you regarding the easy steps to be followed to get a better-finished wood product of your preference.

Step One: Begin with a simple project

Tips For Non-Carpenters on How to Build Your OwnIf you are new to the woodworking niche then it is better to start with an easy job. Let’s take a task of making a simple coffee table. Begin the work. Make it simple. Do not go for a rounded, grooved or notched design. Here you should learn the basics of the carpentry skills. At first, you need to learn about cutting straight wood with correct measurements and joining two pieces of wood. Trying your hand out with small woodwork project is better as they are simple and inexpensive.

Step Two: Get on the same page with your partner

Think, imagine and analyze the things. If at all you have a partner with you just discuss and try to be on the same page. It has been seen that two mind is better than one. So frame a good idea about the type and design of the furniture before starting the task. You can design it with your own preference. Some people are keen about the functionality while others appreciate good looks.

Step Three: Plan your own furniture

Planning is very important before starting any project. It gives you a clear step by step guide to finish your task. So here you can Google a little to identify a good design for your coffee table. with the help of a photo editor, you can take out the hard copy of the blueprint. This outline design can be used for correct dimensions and other measurements. Thus you can get a clear idea to fit the pieces together.

Step Four: Make an estimate

Estimate the quantity of wood and the other supplies you require for the project. Identify the wood type you need for making the table. Now you can run to a store to know the actual prices of the making materials. Make a budget for your project. Here you can know whether building a table at home will save your money. If you find everything good and it is a cost effective project for you then you can go ahead with your plan.

Step Five: Google for books and guides

As you are a newbie to the field you might not be aware of the best cutting method. So investigate a little in the area. You will get lots of online help regarding the cutting and measuring strategies. Further, you need to know about how the woodwork joints. Reading a user manual can help you out for sure.

Step Six: Measure twice before you cut

Tips For Non-Carpenters on How to Build Your OwnBe careful, do not hasty. Measure the wood and check it once more before you cut it finally. If you cut a piece with the wrong measurement the whole wood will go waste. Always prefer to buy good and advanced tools available in the market. The machine tools you need at this stage are like a miter saw, circular saw, sanding machine, and the electric drill. Click here to enhance your woodworking skill through choosing the best tool for you.

At the final stage do not rush. Complete your finished product with utmost patience. Be ready to accept little faults as you are not a professional woodworker. Though not the perfect one but you made your first table. Be happy with your creation.

Reviewing the ITrack Easy Key Finder

ITrack Easy Key Finder Review

Reviewing the ITrack Easy Key Finder
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have been loosing my keys pretty often, my son is in the stage where he likes playing with my stuff and if I don’t put them where he can’t reach them he plays with them.

When I got a chance to review this small key finder fob I thought I could use it as a GPS tracker to deal with theft on my land.

My idea was to put in on my sawmill trailer and could catch a thief red handed.

This would be a good idea as the actual ITrack Easy is smaller than the picture shown.  However, since this works by sending a blue tooth signal to your phone It only has a 300 ft range.

However, in playing with this thing I realized it does work awesome for its intended purpose.

It comes with two batteries (one in the fob and a spare) along with a tool to open the fob – not really needed but nice.  The instructions tell how to get the ap for your phone and the signon is simple.  Just set a usermname and password and press and hold the button on the itrack easy until it beeps.

The app shows a map of where the itrack is, will make it beep, and give a bas indication of direction to the device.

Your phone will also beep if the itrack gets out of range. – which put that on a work item and it won’t let you get far from it in the morning.

I kinda like the device, and am glad I was offered the chance to get it at a reduced cost for a review.

 

prO-Bub Kid Ear Muffs Review

Kid Ear Muffs
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#probubearmuffs

As a father and a firearm instructor, I have been on the lookout for good quality hearing protection for my son. Kid Ear Muffs are not something I am willing to compromise with.

My bot is 4 and while I don’t think he is ready to shoot a “real gun”, I have more than one sitting in the closet that were bought for the sole purpose of teaching him to shoot.

At this point, he has a Red Ryder BB gun, but he doesn’t own any BB’s.  I want him to learn a little more first.

Back to the ear muffs.  These muffs are high quality and of a common design.  They are good looking and comfortable.  I was surprised at how well they fit the boy (he’s 4) as well as expand to fit me.

I think having individual hearing protection for each member of your family is vital to hearing safety.
I did not have an emphasis on kid ear muffs growing up, and I never really bothered with hearing protection as a young adult. I am paying for that now, as I have hearing issues and I do not want my son to have to suffer based upon such a preventable issue.

I did recieve this item for reduced price so that I could provide an honest review.