How Does My (Survival) Garden Grow?

On March 19, 2012 By Jean Marie BauhausIn Uncategorized4 Comments

I started my vegetable garden this year… or at least, I tried to. I tried to start some seeds indoors, but it’s been about a month since I planted them and so far there’s not so much as a single sprout. Part of the problem, or possibly THE problem, is that the only south-facing window that isn’t shaded from the sun is in my husband’s office, and by keeping them in there I keep forgetting to water them as regularly as I should. I also didn’t use heirloom seeds—I’ve read a lot about the importance of keeping heirloom seeds for your survival garden, but I’m not really clear as to why that’s important. But we didn’t find any at Home Depot when we went to stock up on seeds, and we decided to take our chances with some Burpee organic seeds instead. Continue reading “How Does My (Survival) Garden Grow?” →

No More “Product” – Frugal & Sustainable Beauty and Hygiene

On February 1, 2012 By Jean Marie BauhausIn Resources3 Comments

I’m in the process of weening myself off of store-bought beauty and hygiene products. There are a lot of reasons for this; for one thing, it’s saving us a lot of money. Products are expensive, and even the cheaper alternatives like Suave or generic brands add up to quite the chunk of change over time. The natural alternatives I’m switching to tend to be much more frugal, and they tend to be things we keep around the house already.

Store-bought products also tend to violate the survival rule of only packing or storing items that have at least two or three different uses. Oh, sure, a bottle of hairspray can double as fuel for fire starting in a pinch, and as a flame thrower if you find yourself under attack by a zombie horde, but most other beauty and hygiene products are pretty much single use. Also, if TEOTWAWKI ever happens, it’s not like I’ll just be able to skip down to Walmart for new shampoo and toothpaste when I run out. Natural alternatives tend to be a little more sustainable, and by switching now, at least I’ll stand a chance of being able to keep up my beauty routine after the poo hits the fan.
Continue reading “No More “Product” – Frugal & Sustainable Beauty and Hygiene” →

Survival On a Budget

On January 29, 2012 By Jean Marie BauhausIn Uncategorized5 Comments

One question I see pop up from time to time in preparedness forums and comment threads is, “What can I do to prepare if I have a limited income?” Another variation of this question is, “So really, am I screwed?”

The problem with a lot of budget-conscious advice is that it always tends to assume that there is some luxury you can easily give up to help meet your goals. But what if you’ve already given up all the luxuries and you are already surviving on a diet of Top Ramen? Do you just plan on stockpiling as much ramen as possible and hope for the best?
Continue reading “Survival On a Budget” →

A Safer Place: Planning To Bug Out Permanently

On January 4, 2012 By Jean Marie BauhausIn Uncategorized1 Comment

In my last post where I outlined my 2012 preparedness goals, I mentioned my big hopes and dreams of acquiring some land at some point this year. With the state of our finances at the moment, this seems like an extremely remote possibility, and yet I can’t shake the sense of certainty and urgency telling me that we need to make this happen.
Continue reading “A Safer Place: Planning To Bug Out Permanently” →