Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance
tools for independent minded people…
ISSN 2161-5543
A
Digest of Urban Survival Resources
MacGyver: If I had some duct tape, I could fix
that.
Most folks,
young or old, rich or poor, like to save a buck. Why else would so many people shop thrift
stores or attend auctions? This past
week my wife, ‘the thrift master,’ grabbed a high end gas grill that someone
planned to discard. It was rusty but the
jets and gas lines were good and it included a partially filled propane tank.
A good cleaning with a wire brush and replacing the gas
hoods with new ones [cost: $24] made for a pretty good deal.
At an area auction my winning bid of $11 got me a hunting
grade sling shot, a nice CO2 pellet gun with a box of BBs and CO2 cartridges, a
new electrical power cord, shooting
range ear muffs and more.
PM Know-How Tips
·
Toothpaste cleans permanent marker from many
non-porouse surfaces. Squeeze a liberal
helping of toothpaste on the mark and scrub with water until clean. If the surface is finished or delicate, test
a small area first.
·
Homemade lantern from stored supplies – turn a
headlamp into a proper lander by wrapping it around a clear two-gallon milk jub
full of water which bounces the light in all directions.
·
Emergency water can always be had by tapping
whats left in your hot water tank-it is usable but you should still boil it or
bleach it before drinking it.. Turn off
the power to the tank and close the supply valve and then place a bucket under
the drainage valve. Open a hot water tap
somewhere in the house to let air into the system and water will begin to
drain.
·
Best racoon [and fly killer]…I wrote about his
DIY mixture last year and everyone, including me swears by it because it
works. Golden Malrin by Star Bar – mix half
with cola [Pepsi or Coke] in an old bowl and place near where the critters are
getting in. Something in the syrup
attracts the little beastie and one sip and they keel right over and die so it
is NOT safe to place around children or your pets.
·
Best non-lethal self-defense spray: Kimber’s [same firm that makes sidearms for
many law enforcement agencies] Guardian Angel Pepper Blaster II. Range of 12’, 112mph, will penetrate a mask
[my wife & I both carry one].
Available on Amazon.
Easy Cleaning For Kitchen Appliances
·
Your blender-you don’t have to hand scrub each
part after every use. Instead, fill the
pitcher with hot water just after using it and add two drops of dish soap. Run the the blender, then rinse.
·
Your microwave-squeeze the juice of half a lemon
into a bowl, and add ½ cup water plus the lemon halves. You’ll be steam cleaning the microwave to
loosen messy splatters, so run it on high for three minutes, then let the steam
work for 5 minutres before you wipe off all surface.
·
Your garbage disposal-a smelly disposal can be
cleaned by pouring in ½ cup baking soda, 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups ice, and 1
cup salt. While cold water runs, run the
disposal until the ice is gone.
·
Slow cooker – Stupporn buildup can be defeated
by running the pot on high for a few hours wile it’s filled with water, a
squirt of dish soap, and ¼ cup of baking soda [you might try adding boiling
water if you are in a hurry].
Resources
Snag Cheaper Air Fares
If
you have flexibility in the dates of your trip and want to know when airfare is
cheapest, visit Google Flight Explore at: Google.com/flights/explore
Enter
your destination, how many days you'll be away, the number of stops you're
willing to make and if you have an airline preference.
The
site shows you current prices for various dates in the coming days, weeks, and
months, enabling you to spot and book the cheapest fare.
Even with supplemental insurance I still have co-pays to contend
with with and premiums continually escalate every year for nearly everyone. I
see a lot of doctors each year and learned to always ask for itemized summaries
of bills.
If you're under-insured here are some helpful sites which offer
tools you might find useful:
FairHealthConsumer.org:
Provides cost estimates for medical and dental services in your
area.
CareCredit.com:
Avoid using credit cards to pay medical bills, instead try this
source for six-month interest-free financing [you must have reasonably decent
credit to qualify]
eDrugSearch.com:
Ways to save on prescriptions.
NoMoreMedicalDebt.com
– Resources to avoid medical debt
You
should also check with your county or state health center for Medicaid
resources. Though time consuming to qualify, it can be worth your while,
especially if you have children in need.
Support our efforts by shopping my storefront…
A Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production
2 comments:
Always love your stuff [of course, you could include more of your humor]
cool stuff my man!
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