Recent Posts
We’re Trying to Buy a Homestead!
This is a little bit different kind of a blog post for me, but it’s a big deal in our life — especially as preppers. We’re trying to buy a rural homestead. It’s a 5-acre property with a 40-year-old rambler house (2400 square feet), a large garage, and a large one-story barn. The property is flat, completely usable, and fully fenced. It’s about half forested, but open enough to easily walk through. Though it’s only […]
Nuts & Bolts by Nick: I’m Eating My Preps!
I’m sure there are plenty of preppers out there that wouldn’t break into their mylar pouches full of grain for anything short of total Armageddon, but the truth is that emergencies can be varied and subjective. The world of a self-employed home improvement contractor is sometimes one of feast or famine especially during the initial years of building a business. The last few months have been financially tricky for me and Mighty Oak Homecraft. Large […]
Momma Bear: Carefully Choosing Seeds This Year
It’s that time of year again when we are all starting our seeds and getting those gardens back in shape. Last year was our first year gardening — EVER. We had mixed success, primarily because our property is about 80% shade. One thing I learned though is the importance of picking the right seeds. By this I do not mean just picking the right vegetables, but also the importance of using heirloom seeds so I […]
Product Review: Duracell Digital Inverter 800
Do you live in an area where the power could ever go out? Do you own a vehicle (or, more accurately, own a vehicle battery)? Do you have small devices such as cell phones, laptop computers, tablet devices, power tools, or even lamps that you would like to be able to power during a blackout? If the answer to all these questions is “yes”, do yourself a favor and spend about $65 and get a […]
Nuts & Bolts by Nick: Overlanders
Overlanders: One man’s survival is another man’s vacation. I’m going to stray away from my home improvement centered writing from time to time; today I want to discuss another passion of mine and it’s overlooked connection to the world of prepping. While the term “Overlanding” may still be unknown to many, it is in fact a long standing segment of the adventure travel community that traces it’s roots to earliest days of the automobile when […]
Momma Bear: Sequestration, Military Life & Our Growing Family
The military received a 1% pay raise this year. But with a 2% tax increase, that is the same as a 1% pay cut. I am thankful to report that while this did infuriate me, we were able to absorb the loss with minimal discomfort. Sequestration hit right about the time that we were re-arranging our house to accommodate the two kids we are planning to adopt. While I had been busy spending to get […]
Sarah’s View: Product Review: iTorch External Battery
The New Trent iTorch IMP52D is a portable, rechargeable, external lithium battery I use to recharge my cell phone (an iPhone). It is compatible with any device (i.e. phone, MP3 player, tablet) that uses a USB plug. Currently I am travelling for work…again. There are many things on my ‘must pack’ list these days, but ever since Trace bought each of us an iTorch about a year ago, I don’t go anywhere without it. It stays […]
Motivation / Getting Started
-
Being Prepared In Body, Mind, and Spirit
If we knew the world around us was going to collapse tomorrow we’d hope that we were as prepared as possible. We’d hope we had […]
-
Nuts & Bolts by Nick: I’m Eating My Preps!
I’m sure there are plenty of preppers out there that wouldn’t break into their mylar pouches full of grain for anything short of total Armageddon, […]
-
September is National Prepardness Month
In September the federal government gives preparedness enough of a nod that it gets it’s very own month; though you rarely hear them say much […]
5 Basic Needs
-
Momma Bear: An Inexpensive Water Filter System
“Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.” -Nelson Mandela When I first became a prepper, I found the idea of water purification, […]
-
Momma Bear: MRE’s For Your Preps?
‘Meals Refused by Everyone’ is a not-so-affectionate term for Meals Ready to Eat (MRE). MREs are the field rations that our military eats whenever they […]
-
No, You Can’t Take It
five basic needs: 1) food, 2) water, 3) shelter, 4) SECURITY, and 5) energy Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and […]
Reviews & DIY
-
Hand Washing Laundry
We’ve decided that our next prepper goal is to be able to hand wash laundry. Washing machines require lots of power and lots of water, […]
-
Sarah’s View: DIY Potato Box
This weekend, with the beautiful weather we had here, Trace and I decided to work on some of our outdoor projects. I was able to […]
-
Product Review: Meal Kit Supply MREs
After Momma Bear’s post on MREs (meals ready to eat) we decided we wanted to add more MREs to our preps. We have a couple […]
Regular Features
-
Momma Bear: Bugs For Dinner?
We currently feel like we’re under attack from cicadas! This is the year when the so-called 17-year periodical cicadas emerge in the BILLIONS from northern Georgia […]
-
Momma Bear: Carefully Choosing Seeds This Year
It’s that time of year again when we are all starting our seeds and getting those gardens back in shape. Last year was our first […]
-
Momma Bear: Sequestration, Military Life & Our Growing Family
The military received a 1% pay raise this year. But with a 2% tax increase, that is the same as a 1% pay cut. I […]
Momma Bear: Bugs For Dinner?
We currently feel like we’re under attack from cicadas! This is the year when the so-called 17-year periodical cicadas emerge in the BILLIONS from northern Georgia to upstate New York. Our yard, here in Virginia, is littered with holes in the ground from the recently emerged larvae. Hundreds of larva husks are dangling from my bushes, and the red beady eyes from the newly sprung cicadas are staring back at us. The mating calls have not yet […]