Destiny Survival

Archive for February, 2009

            If you’re in a position to move to a rural, more secluded area, hoping for a simpler lifestyle, there’s a lot to consider.  It’s often romanticized, and many have done well by making such a move.  On the other hand, some have utterly failed.

            Take a look at the following article for some practical and realistic thoughts about moving to the country.  You’ll appreciate this as well if you’ve recently made the big move.  The author’s somewhat humorous tone makes some sharp points about such things as getting along with neighbors, pets and firearms.

10 country do’s and don’ts

By Julie Crist

When we moved from the city to the mountains, I kept my eyes open and my mouth shut and paid very close attention to other people’s botchery. Personally, I’d really rather watch someone else screw up than have to do it myself. But of course, there’s no free lunch, and so we added our own blunders to my ever-growing list. What follows are 10 lessons from my “now I know better” collection. Perhaps these lessons learned will ease your transition from the city to wilderness.

1. Know thyselves. If you are a couple who bickers over which way to hang the toilet paper roll, don’t buy raw land.

Read the whole article here: www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/crist96.html

Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine. www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418

            A move to the country for a more self sufficient life is a monumental personal  undertaking.  I suggest that you click here and investigate the resources from the Self Sufficient Life site.  They have e-books and resources on vegetable gardening, raising chickens, bee keeping, and more.  Get all the information you can. 

            If you’re looking for a good “how to” book you can hold in your hands without having to be tied to the computer, click here to find out about The encyclopedia of Country Living.

If you’ve been gardening for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with “Organic Gardening” because you’ve subscribed to it yourself, or you know someone who has.  It’s popular for good reason. “Organic Gardening” makes growing organically something anyone can do, and that’s a must for your own survival gardening efforts.

“Organic Gardening” is Best Deal Magazine’s Deal of the Day today, Feb. 26th.  You get a discount price that’s over $3.00 lower than their already low discount price. Here’s how Best Deal Magazine describes “Organic Gardening” magazine.

“Organic Gardening”  has been bringing the organic gardener trusted advice since 1942. “Organic Gardening” is America’s most popular gardening magazine and it will teach you how to make your garden the best it can be. You’ll find practical tips for growing vegetables and flowers naturally without the use of pesticides or chemicals. Each issue also includes articles on designing flowerbeds and vegetable gardens and making your lawn thrive. Learn how to grow your own healthy, pesticide, chemical free vegetables and flowers. If you’re passionate about natural gardening, Organic Gardening is an essential garden tool designed just for you!

When you click the logo below, you’ll be taken to the Best Deal Magazines home page where you’ll see today’s Deal of the Day, “Organic Gardening” magazine, near the top of the page. Click on the cover image of the magazine and you’ll be taken to the deal of the Day page where you can subscribe to “Organic Gardening” for a special one day price today only.

You’ll be glad to know that, if you’re seeing this after Feb. 26th, you’ll still get Best Deal Magazine’s regular super discount on “Organic Gardening.”  Click on their logo here, then type the key words Organic Gardening in the home page search box, and you’ll be taken to the page featuring “Organic Gardening.” There you can place your subscription order by adding it to your cart.

            Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.  Add to your knowledge of survival gardening by taking advantage of today’s Deal of the Day price on “Organic Gardening.”

            Now through March 1^st is “”America Saves Week,” an effort to encourage personal savings, supported by the Consumer Federation of America and the American Savings Education Council.    There’s a web site here to find out more.  Specifically, if you want some general tips on how you can save money in everyday activities, you can click here.

            Whether you can only set aside $5 or $10 a week in a savings account or envelope, or whether you put loose change in a jar at the end of the day, it’s a good idea to build an emergency or contingency fund.  Set savings goals for purchasing storage food and survival gear or supplies.

            Remember to take a look at Living on a Dime and get practical, expert advice and follow the examples of those who have come out of indebtedness into financial freedom.

            Get a copy of the Dining On A Dime e-Book and eat better and spend less.  Prepare meals without cutting coupons. It really is possible! The award winning Dining on a Dime is packed with over 1,200 money saving recipes and tips, including kids tips and snack ideas, gift baskets, menus, food storage directions, Cleaning Cents and Pretty for Pennies.  You’ll see it on Living on a Dime’s home page.  Buy your copy of Dining on a Dime here from Livingon a Dime now and start saving money at home during America Saves Week.

            If you haven’t noticed it yet, there’s an orange box on the sidebar to the right (and one below this post) that says “Now Hiring.”  Let me quickly say that DestinySurvival isn’t hiring.  Instead, various employers throughout the country who have associated themselves with SnagAJob.com are hiring, and they could be looking for you.

            Whether you’re in between jobs now or are looking for your first job, SnagAJob.com may have something for you in your area.  Maybe you’re in a similar position to that of the lady who was forced into pushing carts around in a big box store parking lot after having been a highly paid manager.  Let’s face it.  Times are tough, so DestinySurvival offers this connection to SnagAJob.com as a service to our readers.  It’s one little way of turning negatives into positives.

Of course, we can make no guarantees as to whether you’ll find work through SnagAJob.com.  You’re solely responsible for any relationship you develop with them and any prospective employers.  We here think it’s important to help you survive economically, since that can have a bearing on your overall survival.

SnagAJob.com claims to be America’s largest hourly job website, featuring more than 100,000 active job postings in industries including: restaurant, retail, office, homecare, hospitality and more.  They connect businesses needing part-time or full-time hourly employees with the most qualified hourly job seekers like you.  Incidentally, employers can also sign up to find the hourly workers they need.

            On SnagAJob.com you can search for jobs near you by entering your zip code.  Registering on SnagAJob.com is free and easy.  The more complete your profile, the better your chances of finding a job.  You can conveniently apply for multiple jobs as well as have employers find and contact you.  Job alerts and monthly newsletters will come directly to your e-mail address.  You can bookmark job listings and save searches.

            If you’re looking for work to get by, click now on the “Now Hiring” logo below.  You have our best wishes for success and survival.

I’m finding that media headlines carry warnings and statements about the dire economy which rival the bleak outlook of my friend Survival Sam.  Will it all crash down farther and faster than it already has?  Will we indeed be reduced to Third World status?  Could we one day be walking or riding bicycles to get around?  Will it be like setting the clock back decades or even centuries?

It wouldn’t be wise to dismiss such questions out of hand as negative hype.  We’ve seen some amazing things in just the past few months. Read the rest of this entry »

            Not long ago I read some thought provoking comments on wild edible plants from someone who formerly lived in the country and now lives in an urban area.  He said he felt blessed to be able to recognize edibles growing in his yard and up through sidewalks.  Others around him couldn’t spot something as simple as plantain leaves and know what to do with them.  In a time of calamity and food shortages, he wouldn’t starve, but his neighbors might.

            It’s wonderful that this man knows about the food growing around him, even in a city environment; but most of us aren’t that fortunate.  We need help from a good reference book such as Harvesting Nature’s Bounty 2nd Edition: A Guidebook of Wild Edible, Medicinal and Utilitarian Plants, Survival, and Nature Lore, by Kevin F. Duffy.

Harvesting Nature’s Bounty is a treasure trove of nature wisdom and lore.  It not only covers wild edible and medicinal plants, and survival skills, but it also covers subjects as varied as fish stunners, weather predictors, cricket temperature, pine pitch glue, natural bug repellents, and a wide variety of new culinary sources.  Discover communing with nature and reconnect at a level known only to our distant ancestors.  Discover where the treasures of nature are located and how they can be used.  You may never see a field or forest in quite the same way as before.

Over 200 species are discussed in Harvesting Nature’s Bounty along with their various uses.  This book includes over 100 photographs and is heavily annotated with references.   It covers nature lore, including that used by Native Americans.  It also contains info on shelters, fire starting, water collecting, and alternative hunting methods without weapons.

Discover how to:

*    find and eat some of the most important food staples of the Native Americans, like acorns, groundnuts, cattails, and more.

*   build a survival shelter with no tools that can protect you and keep you dry in sub-freezing weather.

*   catch large bullfrogs during the day without any tools.

*   recognize a plant that will prevent poison ivy from developing after you have been exposed.

 *   find wild edible plants in the dead of winter.

*   recognize natural treatments that can be found in nature for over dozens of the most common complaints.

*   get safe water from nature.

*   collect large edible crayfish with just a flashlight and a bucket at night.

 *   find natural wild substitutes for the majority of the spices in your spice rack.

*   find edible flowers that might be growing in your yard.

            To find out what else is included in this second edition of Harvesting Nature’s Bounty, order your copy by clicking on the picture of the book below, and you’ll be taken to the Amazon.com page featuring this book.  What if your survival one day really does depend on what you know about the edible plants and other food around us?  How well prepared would you be?