Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
For Independent Minded People!
ISSN 2161-5543
In This Issue:
1.
16 High Value items to stockpile for barter
2.
What kind of couponer are you?
3.
10 Stupid online business ideas that made
someone rich
4.
A diamond may be forever, but marriage isn’t…
5.
Why there are no jobs
In the
spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. - Margaret Atwood
A diamond may
be forever, but love and marriage sure isn’t. ..Unusual biz idea
With an estimated 50
percent of all marriages ending in divorce, a new Web site, "I
Do, Now I Don't" is looking to
capitalize on this more cynical side of diamonds.
Founder and CEO Joshua
Opperman came up with the idea after his fiancée abruptly called it quits.
"A few months into our engagement, I came home
from a tough day at work only to find that my apartment was completely empty.
All of her stuff was gone, and all that was left was the engagement ring lying
on my table."
Ouch.
To keep potatoes from budding,
place an apple in the bag with the potatoes
place an apple in the bag with the potatoes
PM’s
Compendium of Useful Resources
What Kind of
Couponer Are You?
Coupons.org is dedicated to providing a bounty of daily deals, coupon codes,
consumer advice, and fun. Along with our useful coupon search bar, we do our
best to update you on the latest and greatest in retail savings. Count on our
incredible compendium of coupons here at Coupons.org!
10 Totally
Stupid Online Business Ideas That Made Someone Rich
How to get rich the
smart way? Looking for internet business ideas? Read what some creative people
did:
1000000 pixels, charge
a dollar per pixel – that’s perhaps the dumbest idea for online business anyone
could have possible come up with. Still, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old who came up
with the idea, is now a millionaire.
Hire another person to
think of a cool domain name for you? No way people would pay for this.
Actually, naming domain names for others turned out a thriving business,
especially, when you make the entire process risk free. PickyDomains currently
has a waiting list of people who want to PAY the service to come up with a
snappy memorable domain name. PickyDomains is expected to hit six figures this
year
Read more at:
Surviving the
Coming Collapse…for many, the
collapse is already here.
In the event of a
collapse the dollar will become nearly worthless and the unemployment rate will
likely be 25% or higher. There are ways to protect yourself and your family if
these predictions do come true. Gold and silver holds its' value regardless of
what happens with the stock market or inflation. Currently silver is the best
value, as it has not risen as much as gold over the past few years…here are
some other considerations for you to ponder.
Every good survivalist
has a stockpile of things he or she recognizes their family may need to survive
a natural or man-made disaster. However, many people forget the value of maintaining
a barter store as well.
If things hit the fan,
particularly in an economic collapse where the dollar is nearly worthless, a
number of non-monetary goods will be more valuable than a fistful of dollar
bills.
It's also important to
recognize that we can't possibly store enough of every item to account for
every scenario for an indefinite period of time. However, what we can do is
have some items on hand to barter with neighbors to plug gaps in our
preparations.
Imagine a neighbor
with a large garden and some chickens trading a half dozen eggs and some squash
for a box of ammo, or a small bottle of Vodka.
Consider stocking up
on the following items, even if you have no plans to use them yourself, for
their potential barter value.
16 Things to
Stockpile with High Barter Value
Cigarettes. I hate smoking, and can't stand being around anyone
that smokes. Having said that, I recognize that in a SHTF situation many others
will be cut off from their access to cigarettes, so there is plenty of barter
potential.
Soap. Bars of soap, and even those little cleaning
napkins/wipes that you get at the BBQ restaurants could be very valuable in a
SHTF scenario. Ever see "The Book of Eli?"
Bullets. Obviously, it's a good idea to have a decent store of
ammo representing all calibers of the weapons you own. However, it is also a
good idea to store extra ammo in common calibers (9mm, .22, .38, 12-guage
shells, etc.) as a potential barter. After all, a gun without ammo is just an
inaccurate throwing object.
Alcohol. Alcohol could serve a variety of purposes in a SHTF
situation. It is valuable as a potential bartering commodity, and it also has
medicinal uses. Did you know Vodka is a great home remedy to counteract the
reaction to poison ivy?
MREs. More portable and easier to barter than larger
5-gallon buckets, or even #10 cans of dried foods, MREs are great to have on
hand for bartering. Keep a variety of flavors and different kinds of foods
because you could be holding something that could complete a meal for a hungry
person
Silver Coins. Keep in mind this doesn't necessarily mean only
silver dollars with a full ounce of silver, but even older, less expensive
coins with a high silver component (the 1964 Kennedy half-dollar, for example).
Detergent. Don't think people are interested in bartering
detergent? Check out the story about the recent rash of detergent thefts across the
country. Apparently, Tide
detergent on the black market is now referred to as "liquid gold."
Interesting.
Water bottles. To someone in bad need of water, a water bottle
could be worth its weight in gold. Remember the rule of threes: you can live
three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without
food. Store accordingly.
Matches and
lighters. A box of matches is
relatively inexpensive, but for someone needing to build a fire a pack of
matches or a lighter could be very valuable. Be sure these are stored safely,
and if they are not waterproof make them so by storing in a watertight
container.
Sugar. My grandfather used to tell stories of things that
were in limited supply in the Great Depression. Sugar was something he often
mentioned. Imagine how easily you could win over a sweet-tooth with the promise
of a bag of sugar in exchange for something you are short on.
Toilet paper. This one is rather self-explanatory, isn't it? Sure,
there are substitutes for Charmin, but who wants to keep using leaves when
paper feels so much better.
Water Filters/Purifiers. Water purification drops and filters could mean the difference in offering family members treated water or potentially harmful, bacteria-infested water. Who'd be willing to trade for that?
Bleach. May be used to disinfect water, or keep living
quarters and soiled clothing sanitized.
Batteries. Can be used to power up flashlights, radios, and other
electronic devices.
Candles. Emergency candles would be a great barter item for
those in need of providing some light to their living quarters without
electricity.
What other items would you add to your barter store?
Don't throw out all
that leftover wine.
Freeze into ice cubes for future use
in casseroles and sauces.
Freeze into ice cubes for future use
in casseroles and sauces.
The Nanny
State Updates…
Rubber bands slipped around the ends of bed boards will help prevent
them from slipping out.
The Parting Thought – Jobless
‘recovery’ continues
Why there are
no jobs - you can thank government
Our politicians have
made it so complicated and so expensive to hire someone that many small
businesses try to avoid hiring as much as possible…When our politicians keep
piling on the taxes and the regulations and the paperwork which creates a
tremendous incentive not to hire workers.
Michael Fleischer, the
President of Bogen Communications, once wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street
Journal entitled "Why I'm Not Hiring". The following is how Paul Hollrah of Family Security Matters summarized the nightmarish taxes that are imposed on
his company when Fleischer hires a new worker....
According to Fleischer, Sally grosses
$59,000 a year, which shrinks to less than $44,000 after taxes and other
payroll deductions. The $15,311 deducted from Sally’s gross pay is comprised of
New Jersey state income tax: $1,893; Social Security taxes: $3,661; state
unemployment insurance: $126; disability insurance: $149; Medicare insurance:
$856; federal withholding tax: $6,250; and her share of medical and dental
insurance: $2,376. Roughly 25.9 percent of Sally’s income is siphoned off by
Washington and Trenton before she receives her paychecks.
But then there are the additional costs of
employing Sally. In addition to her gross salary, her employer must pay the
lion’s share of her healthcare insurance premiums: $9,561; life and other
insurance premiums: $153; federal unemployment insurance: $56; disability
insurance: $149; worker’s comp insurance: $300; New Jersey state unemployment
insurance: $505; Medicare insurance: $856; and the employer’s share of Social
Security taxes: $3,661.
Over and above
her gross salary, Bogen Communications must pay an additional $15,241 in
benefits and state and federal taxes, bringing the total cost of employing
Sally to approximately $74,241 per year. Sally gets to keep $43,689, or just
58.8% of that total.
“Until the next
revolution”, the Poor Man
Remember, remember the 4th of November…
Get your “We
don’t need another election” Protest T-Shirt Now
Follow us on
Facebook
Twitter
Keep our services free, visit our sites…
Check our Resources
New self
sufficiency books added weekly
A Shallow
Planet Production
