FREE STUFF, TRICKS AND DISCUSSION TO HELP US IN THESE HARD TIMES!

POLL: In Hard Times I plan to...
Hole up, eat prepackaged foods and wait for the Zombies.
Work as hard as I can and go it alone.
Live off of others. (Stealing, looting, what have you. Your things are mine...)
Work as hard as I can and get with a good group of people.
Hide my head in the sand and pretend that nothing is happening at all.
I have a plan... It involves a bottle of Absolut and a fast drive into a concrete pillar.
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The first rule is that a group is always stronger than a single individual, as long as everyone pulls their own weight.

Given everything, that means getting out and actually meeting people in your own area, if you live someplace with other people. It will be hard for some here, being near recluses, but not only do you need others, their going to need you.

Be choosy and don't just glom on to anyone, make sure everyone is committed to doing their share and more and willing to help others.

The first thing I have to suggest, if you haven't done it so far, is to stock up on staples.

This is cheap and if you aren't already living dead close to the bone, with a few simple tricks you can learn to cut your weekly food budget in half fast.

That would be:

Flour (by in bulk, invest in plastic or metal storage containers.)

Sugar (again, even if you think you don't need it, it will be worth the investment in how it extends the range of what you can make for yourself.)

Salt (Needed for life. Cheap. No excuse not to have it on hand.)

Oil Vegetable is cheapest, but wants a cool place for storage.

Canned meats (great if you can budget for them. Get tuna first, then the other types, for best value. Buy the cheapest brand. It will keep just as long.)

Peanut Butter (good value for return on nutrient content.)

If you shop carefully a person can have enough food from the above list to easily live for a month or more spending about fifty dollars.


If you can handle it, corn meal, the course kind, makes a tasty dish called pollenta. If you buy it in bulk, this can make a complete meal (calorie wise) for about twelve cents per person.

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Anyone that's caught my rants on the subject knows that I'm a big fan of reading and think that everyone should take it up as a hobby.

Libraries are free and a lot of books can be had online that way (free) as well.

The biggest is probably Project Gutenberg, which is great for classics.

[link to www.gutenberg.org]

For more resources try visiting the Free Books Page

[link to users.erols.com]


Also, if you like science fiction and fantasy, don't forget Orange Cat Publishing. (Make sure to book mark the page! A whole lot of new things are coming out soon, even though it's a bit small so far. Worth doing!)

[link to orangecatpublishing.com]


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And, just as a suggestion for self-defense, in case hiding and running away don't work for you. (Which should be your first lines of defense, after stout walls...)

Consider high test air rifles as a back-up weapon.

They are cheaper than fire arms and might just get around some local legal issues, allow for small game hunting and while not silent (the bullet will break the sound barrier after all) They can be nearly as quite as a weapon with a silencer on them.

This is just a google search on the topic, but it's a good place to start!

[link to www.google.com]


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Obviously, we need to keep an eye on water too. Now, I doubt that everyone will suddenly lose power or water, but if it happens, being able to clean up water is a god send!

Here's one way to do it, spending a bit of cash.

[link to waterpurificationsystems.co]


At the link here we see a very simple way to remove radiation from drinking water. A bit labor intensive, but if it's work or die, you better get moving!

[link to www.parowanprophet.com]