Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…

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A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 

Prepping Tradecraft: The Art of the Trade

Negotiating with goods is a serious prep skill.

As your list of prepping goods to attain continues to grow, negotiating is something you can begin to practice now. For many preppers, budgets are limited and acquiring even the most basic sets of supplies and equipment can be daunting, especially for families.

One way to overcome tight economic conditions is to learn the tradecraft of swapping or bartering. This can mean exchanging hard goods for hard goods or soft supplies in any mix that willing participants are agreeable to swapping. Vital skills can also be traded as well.

First you need to conduct an inventory of everything you can live without. At the same time, start jotting down critical items that you need. You may have seemingly innocuous stuff like several extra clay flower pots to get rid of, a couple redundant tool sets, a third chainsaw, or a couple unused bicycles in the garage

Things that sell or trade well are baby clothes (in fact anything baby), so if you are done having children, it may be time to get rid of the baby stuff. Check every closet in the house, the attic, basement, and the garage. You may be amazed at just how much stuff you will find that you can do without.

Many preppers are highly skilled and have a huge range of talents to share. These may be mechanical as in automotive engine or auto care in general, or even small engine repair from lawn mowers, snow blowers, chainsaws, or anything that runs on gasoline. Maybe you are a bang-up carpenter who can remodel homes, build storage sheds, or add on another room. Could be you can even design and build a bugout cabin in the wilds. Be honest about what you can do.

You may have tech skills with the knowledge to repair or set up computers or systems at businesses or for private individual uses. Perhaps you are a nurse or medical practitioner and particularly under SHTF conditions you may be able to trade services for items or supplies you need.

Finally, what do you need? A gas powered generator? Maybe you need an ammunition reloading setup. This list can be endless, but the best bet is to aim for major big-ticket items rather than everyday supplies. Hardware and gear may be hard to come by later.

Learn to practice tradecraft. It is a vital skill when times get tough.

Dr. John Woods

Award winning outdoor writer/photographer since 1978. Over 3000 articles and columns published nationally. Field & Stream Hero of Conservation in 2007. Fields of writing includes hunting most game in… [Learn More]

 

 

RELATED RESOURCE

The problem is that U.S. utilities are outdated and are behind the times when it comes to security.

Between private hacking groups like Xenotime and nation’s like Iran and North Korea…

It’s amazing our grid it still up. (I can tell you that intelligence operations have foiled several attacks.)

But, there is no doubt in my mind that the time will come when the power grid gets too overwhelmed from all of the attacks.

And unfortunately, there will be a day of reckoning and it will go down.

So, how do I prepare for this?

Well…

As far as power, I’ve got a propane generator.

You can store propane indefinitely in all sorts of temperatures.

I’ve got propane stoves for cooking.

I’ve got a fire pit in my backyard that’s also for cooking.

I’ve got a ton of flashlights and batteries. (Including large car batteries that I can power items by using an inverter.)

I have solar lights.

And, most importantly, I have a year’s supply of food and a month’s supply of water.

Plus, I have the SurvFilter to filter water when my supply runs out.

Just imagine that 10 seconds after you read this, the power goes out for 30 days?

Would you make it?

If not, get moving and at a minimum, be prepared to survive on your own for 30 days without needing assistance from anyone… especially the gov’t…or a foreign enemy mounts an attack:

In the event that Iran does pull off a successful cyber-attack on our grid, make sure you’re prepared to go without power for a short period of time.

The gear in this CIA DVD will help you.

 

Have you ever been caught in an extended power outage? If you have, you know that it’s not only an inconvenient experience, but a costly one as well (especially if you have a bunch of food in the freezer). Hopefully, you've followed my advice and got yourself a backup generator. If you don't have one, you'll probably pull hair trying to figure out how to cook all of that food you stored.
On an even more serious note, what if your gas and electricity were cut off for awhile due to a major disaster? How would you make a hot meal? I have a few basic survival cooking methods to share with you.

1. Grill (my favorite). To me, everything tastes better on a grill anyway, so get your food in order of its "perishability", wrap it up in tin foil and grill it to perfection. I use the grill for everything from eggs, to soup, to tea. By the way, if you haven't tried tea or coffee cooked on a grill or open fire, you are missing out - the smoky flavor is great. You'll likely be out of coals pretty quickly, so be sure to conduct regular stick gathering expeditions if you don't have firewood on hand.
The grill is also great for boiling water if your water supply has been compromised during the crisis. Hopefully you know this, but just in case... Don't bring your grill in the house! Not only is it a fire hazard, it is a toxicity hazard, since it releases smoke and toxins into the air.

2. Open fire. If you don't have a grill, make a small fire and cook over the open fire or over the hot coals. You can use the open fire to make just about everything you can make on a grill.  Make sure you don't build the fire close to the exterior walls of your house, near brush or near your car.

3. Pit cooking. A method used by various tribes all over the world, pit cooking is an easy way to make delicious hot meals without the hassle of "babysitting" them. Make a fire and burn wood until you have a bunch of nice hot coals. While the fire is burning, wrap food in tinfoil or place in a Dutch oven. Dig a hole in the dirt, place the coals on the bottom and place the food on the coals. Wait almost as long as you would wait or an oven to cook the meal and check it. Use the food thermometer when in doubt. One of my absolute favorite pit cooked meals is steak and baked potatoes. By the way, you don't even have to wrap the potatoes; just keep the skins on and bury them.

4. Solar cooking. This method uses the sunlight to cook your meal. You can buy a solar oven or make one yourself (a topic for another e-mail) by using a box, some sticks and tinfoil. In takes awhile, but in the absence of other tools, it is a foolproof and smoke-free way to cook.

Whatever you're cooking, don't forget to follow basic food safety and fire safety guidelines.

Bruce, the “Poor Man”

Additional News You Should Note…

 

 

Support Injured Vets

If you have gift cards for stores such as Lowes or Home Depot, send them to Building Homes for Heroes.  This non-profit will use them to buy supplies to modify and build homes for injured veterans and their families.  Send to:  Building Homes for Heroes, 65 Roosevelt Ave. Ste. 105, Valley Stream, NY 11581

De-Clutter for a Good Cause…Visit UWVC.org & type in your zip code to schedule a pickup of gently used clothing, furniture & household items to be donated to soldiers’ families.  Simply leave your goods outside for pickup and a driver will leave a tax-deduction receipt in their place.

 

A Final Note…

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You Can’t Buy Life Insurance After You’re Dead-Prepare NOW for Emergencies. Resources-Solar Chargers back in stock-Grab one now as they go fast.  Our supply on eBay sold out in ten minutes!

*Available at our storefront – PLUS grab one of our popular emergency solar/wind-up/battery back-up power plants…

 

 

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