I’m so sorry I have not been able to update this site as much as I should be doing.  Over the past couple of weeks, life has been keeping me very very busy.   I’m moving to a new home in Omaha.  This move is fantastic.  We are going to save money, be closer to the office, and be closer to most of our friends.

The Lady Prepper and I are spending most of our evenings planning for the baby’s arrival in October.  There has been lots of cloth diaper buying and classes as well as appointments with the midwife.  Having our first child has really made me look at the way I prep.

I’m also very active in a local prepping group.  I have been busy building them a website as well as bringing resources together for people.

Work-wise I have recently launched two large projects:

Church Safe
Church safe is an Internet-based emergency planning software. This product was designed to make emergency response and planning quick and efficient for churches and congregations of any size.  We will be rolling out a few new modules and other features in the coming months.  For updates check out our twitter @Churchsafe and facebook

Goal Mixer
Goal Mixer is a Internet-based networking and resource group for anyone looking to accomplish goals. These goals could be as small as wanting to learn how to knit to finding a co-founder for your business idea. Twitter is @GoalMixer

I really want to touch again on Reduce – Reuse – Recycle. I have gotten a lot of questions about my post on  Preparedness Blogs .  I’m going to give some more in-depth info here.

Reduce:
When you are out shopping, really pay attention to packaging.  Try to buy items that have containers or packages you can use more than once.  I recommend avoiding packages all together.  This honestly will help remove processed food from your diet.  Don’t use the plastic bags for produce.  Don’t buy boxed side dishes or meals. When buying items such as flour and beans and most other dry goods, see if you can find a local store that has bulk bins.  Also, reuse your grocery bags. Most stores will remove five or ten cents off your total bill.  I know it’s not much, but every little bit counts.

Reuse:
Milk jugs have so many uses it’s not funny.  2-liter soda bottles also have more than one life purpose.  Wine bottles make great candle holders and other great crafty ideas.  If you get into making your own wine and beer, you will love having lots of them on hand.  Sour cream, whipped cream, and butter tubs are great for storing leftovers and packing lunch.  All glass containers can be used to store some sort of goods.

Recycle:
If you are breaking down old furniture or thinking of throwing something made of wood or steel away, stop and think about other things you can build from the raw materials.  I have seen raised beds built out of old bookshelves. I have seen windmills built from car alternators and slats from an old vinyl siding.

I think preppers really marginalize the topic of keeping clean and being able to take showers or a bath.  Now, I know many of you are thinking “Joe, it’s a waste of water”. Well, if your reserves are low then of course it is.  But if it’s raining like cats and dogs and you’re collecting that water or you have a nice surplus, why not treat yourself a little.

I’m not talking about a 20 minute shower here. Try this out: Hop in your shower at your normal time. Stop up the drain.  Just get your body wet and a wash rag and your hair.  Turn the shower off and scrub up.  Turn the water back on and rinse off. Don’t waste time relaxing.  Now look at how full your tub is.  If you’re using a nice light soap or something eco-friendly, that water can go right into your planters or garden beds.

If you’re trapping rain water, then a quick filtering should be more than enough of a water treatment for your showering needs.  Lady preppers will agree that being able to wash your hair every so often is going to keep them much happier.  Also, who wants to be hunkered down with a bunch of stinky people.

I have been buying natural handcrafted soaps from Sarahbeecreations and just vacuum sealing them. These soaps are handmade and have an amazing light scent that is not overpowering.   She also supplies nice smelling soy candles that give off a nice scent.  This will make your bug out location or bug in location much more comfortable.

When your sitting down with your family, and putting together your disaster preparedness plan. Something very important to keep in mind is perspective.  Don’t get tunnel vision and only prepare for one type of emergency.  Research and pull information from all sorts of locations.

Don’t just rely on one or two survival blogs, read seven or eight.  Also find blogs of like minded people. You it may not be all survival info all the time but you will gain little insights into what other people are doing.
An example of this is a blog that I follow called Hey Laura, What? . While I myself have never had the privilege to meet Laura, I have found her to be very like minded.  I was turned onto her blog by my very loving and supportive lady prepper of the house Brandi.

The Primary focus of this blog was answer questions people had about a slew of topics.  Well recently Laura has started a string of posts on emergency preparedness. I highly suggest taking the time to read them.  They are practical and rooted in personal experience and research.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I started looking around the web the other day and I noticed there are more and more survival or self-sustainability blogs popping up everyday. There are new sites offering survival tips and tricks, all with their own angle as to why you should be prepared.

I really had to sit back and weigh the pros and cons as to why I want to throw my own two cents into the arena.  Today I watched a documentary called Collapse.  Out of all the subjects and topics touched on in the movie, the one thing that stuck with me the most was the ending, where Michael Ruppert explains in his words the hundredth monkey effect.

If each and every blogger and survival/natural living expert or professional reached a hundred people, maybe three to five of them will start a blog and reach another hundred people. Before we know it, our neighbors and their families will all be taking steps to live a life of self sufficiency  and reliance.

This could allow for those people who don’t need the added systems of support to remove themselves and let those that really need them take advantage of them without every one having to worry about the country or society as a whole going bankrupt.

If more people could just feel the self empowering affects of what it is like to accomplish a project, run their own business, or even plant a garden and enjoy it’s harvest I think the world as a whole would have a different outlook and an easier time securing a future for our children and their children.