Bruce’s Poor Man Recession Bulletin
Your choice for usable information!
In This Issue:
· Free Rabbit Butchering Video
· More on Protecting your privacy
· Frugal ways to live on despite ‘end’ of recession
· Free Alternative Energy Videos
· Get our newest Poor Man CD release
· More free resources to make life easier
The trouble with socialism is you run out of other people’s money to spend.
--Margaret Thatcher
Spring is here and Scavenger Lifestyles
Off-the-Grid Economics
There are dozens of ‘survivalist’ sites available to you on the internet. Most of them and related print magazines are devoted to finding a place in the country to ‘homestead.’ While this is a terrific goal, one that I had achieved in the late 90s (we had a great 38-acre spread), it’s not always practical or affordable for most…even with the recession, land prices in most (not all) parts of the country are still expensive and even in ‘recession-torn Michigan, virtually no one is offering cheap land.
Going completely off-the-grid is not an inexpensive process, even for DIY folks. We also, at one point, owned 40-acres of vacant land in AZ which we had planned as our off-the-grid retirement project. An uninsured illness and other factors forced us to sell that land. While planning that project we estimated it would cost us nearly $45,000 to become completely energy self-sufficient excluding the cost of the home itself.
That’s why our Poor Man site and Bulletin is devoted more to the Urban Survivalist. Most of us will be happy to cut our utilities in half, earn a living from home, and to supplement our larder with natural, home-grown food. Not all of us have a complete workshop with our own lumber mill and a circle of like-minded DIY’ers to help us out…hell, I can’t even convince my wife to go along with some of the stuff I do (she will not help raise any animal she might have to eat). Of course, I do throw my politically incorrect insights about how the government mistreats its one-time masters into the mix!
I’ve always admired the Amish, many of whom I’ve hired over the years to perform tough carpentry projects, farrier work, etc. Because of community, they can raise a barn in a weekend without any kind of debt! It’s tough to find that sense of community in most localities. (More on Amish in next issue).
In that regard I’ll soon expand my book offerings to include a useful new book by Brett Markham called Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency of ¼ Acre. I’m waiting on his publisher for prices. As you noted in the previous issue, we’re also offering the best book on stockpiling, now in its 11th edition – Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down, available on our site. In 1999 we distributed case lots of this book and it’s one I suggest everyone in America own.
Finally, another useful paperback we’ve begun stocking is Anneli Rufus’ Scavengers’ Manifesto: a guide to freeing yourself from the endless cycle of buying stuff and discovering how salvaging, swapping and recycling can save your cash and the earth! This is currently available on my eBay site at 40% less than bookstore prices – go to www.Oldbooknook.com to order.
With all the doom & gloom that’s fit to print…stock market crashes, earthquakes, oil leaks, mass murders, mining accidents, bomb plots, etc. don’t you think it might be prudent to become more self reliant and prepared?
Our newest release:
Advanced
Poor Man Underground Survival
Strategy Series
Part III
Now on CD and a perfect companion to our first two releases of the Poor Man’s Recession Survival kits…includes:
· The Crisis Preparedness Handbook complete Guide to Home Storage & Physical Survival– 322 page PDF
· The Unemployed Millionaire-Escape the Rat Race – 275 pages
· Knife Fighting Manual-Put ‘Em Down/Take ‘em Out/31-pages
· Survival – Outdoors, Self Protection-330 PDF files covering everything from Urban Survival, Wilderness Survival, Survival & Evasion, Civil Disruption Preparedness, Several US & Canadian Military survival manuals and much, much more.
Here’s the deal for our readers…skip the shipping & pay just $4.95 for this CD ROM – heck of a deal off our already low prices. Order directly from our site or send your payment & address via PayPal to: bedavid@yahoo.com
--If you don’t have a paypal account, you can still send money through them – visit their site at: www.PayPal.com or contact me for other payment arrangements.
With this addition to our Self Reliance library, the Poor Man now offers the most comprehensive collection anywhere. Go to our site to order all of our CDs for one low price.
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Updates, Resources, Freebies & News
Rabbit Butchering Video---be sure to see the Poor Man’s How-to Video selection too.
http://www.homesteadernews.com/survivalskills.htm
Free e-book, the *Basic Sprouting Guide.* Click on the link below to receive the download:
http://familypreparednessguide.com/E-Book-Basic-Sprouting-Guide.pdf
Here are more great resources to help you with your Solar or Wind renewable energy projects:
Solar Calculator:
http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/
Wind Map:
http://www.bergey.com/wind_maps.htm
Ever want to know how much solar or wind energy you can capture at your home? Here are some online tools that you will really like. "DIY Solar & Wind" Video page. Here is a link if you wish to watch the videos:
====> 4 DIY Videos: http://greendiyenergy.com/gotvideos.php
Former eBay Execs Are Behind New Social-Shopping Yardsellr Site
Former eBay manager Danny Leffel has created a new site for
online sellers called Yardsellr, backed by former eBay VP Michael
Dearing's investment firm. The site focuses on social shopping
and uses some of the ideas from eBay's 3.0 project.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m05/i11/s03
Myth: Brown eggs are different than white.
Fact: The only difference between a brown and white egg is the color of the shell, which is merely a reflection of the breed of the hen. In general, but not always, hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white eggs and those with dark feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs.
Thinking of Going Back to School? Find help from scholarships to support:
www.eLearners.com/ProjectWorkingMom!
Change your name with a click. We discovered the hard way when renewing a passport that a name change due to a marriage requires an original marriage certificate – the government won’t accept anything else (adding to the cost). Either way, when you change your name, it frequently requires notifying 25-35 different agencies. Here are few resources to use.
www.namechangeexpress.com
www.MissNowMrs.com
www.GetYourNameBack.com
Find a missing part…Looking for an oddball knob or replacement part for an older, discontinued appliance? Type in what you need at these sites to quickly find it:
www.PartStore.com or www.RepairClinic.com
"Government machinery has been described
as a marvelous labor saving device which
enables ten men to do the work of one."
-- John Maynard Keynes
Frugality among consumers is outliving recession
A new frugality among consumers whose wealth has shrunk is outliving the recession…Gee, what’s the Poor Man been saying for years now?
Even as the economic recovery plods ahead, many American consumers are refusing to come along.
They're not spending freely -- and they have no plans to.
Many of them have steady income. They aren't saddled by high debts. They don't fear losing their jobs. Yet despite recent gains, they've lost so much household wealth that they're far more cautious about spending than before the recession.
Their behavior suggests that the Great Recession may have bred a new frugality that will endure well into the recovery. And because consumers fuel about 70 percent of the economy, their tightfisted habits means the rebound could stay unusually sluggish.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Frugality-among-consumers-is-apf-3355135283.html?x=0
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4,525-number of lobbyists hired by companies &
organizations to influence health care reform in 2009.
The hogs have come to the trough again to feed!
Survey of Jobless Finds “No End in Sight”
A new national survey of unemployed Americans reports that nearly 80 percent of those who lost jobs during the Great Recession were still without work as of March 2010.
In a report titled
No End in Sight: The Agony of Prolonged Unemployment (pdf) released today by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, researchers found that of those surveyed who were jobless in August 2009 only 13 percent had found full-time work.
According to Professor Carl Van Horn, a co-author of the report:
“Despite recent signs that the worst phase of the Great Recession may be behind us, the vast majority of jobless Americans have not found new jobs. When they did find work, most took pay cuts and/or lost benefits. Among those still searching for work — many for more than a year — are millions who have never been without a job and who have at least a college education. The inability of these job seekers to find new opportunities is an economic and cultural disaster.”
The report is based on a six-month follow-up survey of unemployed Americans included in a September 2009 study titled The Anguish of Unemployment.
This latest follow-up found that of those who were jobless last August only 21 percent had found any work. Less than 10 percent had found jobs that were at least on par with their previous pay levels. Of those newly reemployed more than half had settled for lower pay, and more than one-third had accepted reduced benefits.
In what will come as no surprise to many older jobless workers, the new survey found only 12 percent of those over age 50 had found either full- or part-time work, compared to 21 percent of those age 30 to 49, and 29 percent ages 18 to 29.
Related Story…
The latest survey to hit the wires is the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which surveyed more than 30,000 Americans about their entrepreneurial inclination.
There are some interesting results to report:
· More than 1/3 of the respondents describe themselves as "free agents". I'm surprised that only 1/3 said this, as it is ever more clear that large corporations consider all of their employees as "free agents" - subject to termination whenever they feel the need to boost the stock price to up the obscene value of executive stock options.
· 38% of Boomers describe themselves as "free agents" compared to 33% for Gen X folks.
· 52% of Boomers say that they have the skills to start a business.
· The largest concentration of self-employed or free-agent people is in Hartford, CT (52 percent), followed by Baton Rouge, LA (50%).
· NOTE - The main factor preventing Americans from becoming free agents is uncertainty about income, followed by availability/cost of replacing corporate health care.
Says the surveys director: "We are seeing a new mindset among many workers who do not share the same concerns about job security as their parents nor do they place such high value on lifelong career, or attachment to one employer".
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I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!
How to Stay Anonymous Online
If you want to stay inconspicuous while online, here are some products, services, and best practices to put to use
The good news is that you can take back control of what others see and know of you online. Here's how.
CHECK YOUR STEALTH
Put your PC through an Internet anonymity test to see just how stealthy it really is. Whenever you connect to Web sites, you're basically telling them your IP address—if nothing else. Based on that information alone, sites can tell a lot about you, such as your general location. If you want to get an idea about what you're telling the Web, check out sites like What the Internet Knows About You and Stay Invisible.
ANONYMOUS E-MAIL
Let's face it, as nice as it is to remain anonymous as you surf, it's almost essential for your e-mail to go unnoticed, or you're going to be swamped with spam in no time. Consider this: Recently, a PCMag editor created a Hotmail account, did nothing with it, and days later he was getting over 500 unsolicited messaged a day. If you prefer a Web-based mail service, Google's Gmail has, without a doubt, the best spam catcher in the business.
In addition, you can avoid putting your e-mail out in the wild by using an alias. These sometimes-temporary addresses can be doled out as you receive requests from Web services or elsewhere. You might be able to set one up if you own your own domain name.
Buying an alias or two is also an option. For example, Anonymizer's Nyms, short for pseudonym, provides alias e-mail addresses for $20 a year. Anonymizer ensures that you still receive your messages but without the sender knowing your real address.
Get all the tips here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363302,00.asp
Speaking of no privacy…the Commonwealth of PA is getting snoopy with their Find Us Before We Find You TV Ad – View Ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybcu2itqvEQ&utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Shocking%20TV%20Ad%20Targets%20Public,%20Escalates%20Government%20Fear%20Campaign
What's telling about Pennsylvania's taxpayer attack ad campaign is that it brags how you have no shield of privacy from government snoops. It is a classic example of a disturbing trend: A situation in which bureaucrats have forgotten their place as public servants and now openly regard taxpayers as subjects to be preyed upon -- not a master to serve.
Why it’s happening – same old story: government greed…
Northwestern University economist Joshua Rauh recently calculated 50 states' pension obligations by removing the rigged statistics governments use to make their pensions appear solvent. Rauh learned that in addition to horrific operating deficits, state government pension obligations are (on a national level) a whopping three times greater than their rapidly collapsing reserves.
Don’t leave counterfeiting to amateurs; let the feds do it!
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I don’t want to get into printing recipes every issue but thanks Carolyn for this cool recipe that we’ll all enjoy!
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
Self Sufficiency-Not Dependency!
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^^^^SPONSORS^^^^
Resources for
Stockpiling and Disaster Preparation
http://www.tbotech.com/cmd.asp?af=1126539
Make Your Own Energy
Step-by-step guide reveals how to
make your own energy for $100 or less. http://tinyurl.com/PMEnergy
Terrific site for resources and
green, eco-friendly goods http://www.growandmake.com?ref=71
Don’t Get Caught With Your Pantry Down – the all time best book on family preparedness has been updated & now includes an online video segment as well. Highly recommended 11th Edition. Go Here:
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Learn from Skip McGrath the real way to make money on eBay
I’ve been a powerseller on eBay for 10 years and have met Skip or Mr. EBay as he’s sometimes called…you won’t go wrong with his selling advice.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1180719
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Parting Shots
We finished a busy weekend participating in a community wide garage sale. As anyone who has ever set up a three day sale knows, the challenge is in the set up. In this part of the country we’ve had problems with weather and tons of rain ruining the first day…or so I thought. We actually had more customers on the day it rained the hardest-go figure.
The Heritage Foundation’s Economic Freedom Index shows the US slipping in its freedom rankings to below that of Canada…who would have guessed?! It’s also clear the long-term trend of our dollar is headed downward, especially with huge and growing deficits and our trillion dollar plus unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare and of course, new reports indicate Obama’s healthcare plan will be higher than originally promised – much, much higher. I said it from the start, Obama’s first priority should’ve been JOBS!
I just placed an order for some Eco friendly products from Green Irene. Once I test them in terms of reliability and cost I’m thinking about signing on to become a distributor of theirs…if you’ve had any experience with this firm, drop me a note to let me know what you think.
Yours for better living,
Bruce “The Poor Man”
Global Economy=s Global Serfdom!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.Com
A Shallow Planet Production
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