Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
You choice for urban survival resources!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
In This Issue:
Wealthy suburban moms now scrimping
Different prices if you pay by cash, credit or debit
I Want Your Money-movie trailer
Foxfire Books now available on CD ROM
US is now a global sweatshop-show us the jobs!
Stuff you do not need to stockpile
Guest Interview-lack of confidence in gov’t=rising gold prices
The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
- Tacitus, A.D. 56-120
Show us the jobs-you cretins!
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is back over 11,000, corporations are flush with $2 trillion in cash, growth has held up for more than a year, and interest rates are at record lows. But none of that does much to cheer the average voter.
Why?
It’s simple really and to paraphrase a popular movie “Show us the jobs!”
Since the mid-1980s in my weekly politically incorrect newspaper column I’ve slammed Wall Street and their penchant for shipping US jobs overseas. The catch phrase I penned back then still applies…burger flippers can’t afford your $40K automobiles.
Two Americans and a British-Cypriot economist won the 2010 Nobel economics prize Monday for developing a theory that helps explain how many people can remain unemployed despite a large number of job vacancies…most Americans would like to know where these job vacancies are located.
As the Poor Man has written before, the government is the single biggest obstacle to job creation and entrepreneurism in this country…Congress passed and the president signed 125 bills into law in 2009. Your tireless federal regulatory predators busy -they issued more than 3,000 new regulations!
Regulations considered in recent years have included energy-efficiency standards for clothes washers and pool heaters, SUV emission rules and the Consumer Product Safety Commission's designs to regulate escalators (safer than unregulated stair steps, by the way) as a "consumer product."
The year's Federal Register - the daily depository of federal regulations - already tops 61,000 pages. According to research conducted for the Small Business Administration by economists Nicole V. and W. Mark Crain, annual off-budget regulatory costs exceed $1.7 trillion, an amount equivalent to more than half the level of the federal budget itself and on a par with the stratospheric annual deficit…Red tape and the Global Marketplace has turned into the global sweatshop!
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News, Tips & Resources for the week
Coming Soon: Different Prices if You Pay by Cash, Credit, or Debit
As a result of federal law suits and a new consumer protection law, sellers will soon be able to charge depending on how you pay. Pay with a rewards credit card, the price will be higher. Use a plain vanilla credit card, and you'll pay less. Use a PIN number with a debit card, you'll pay less, but not as low as paying with cash. Pay with AMEX, get charged one price. Pay with MasterCard, get charged another. What is certain to happen is price confusion because retailers are not likely to post all the prices that apply to each item. Welcome to the era of fuzzy pricing.
Consumer Reports testing show most multi-vitamins the same
Our tests of 21 multivitamins at two outside labs-including leading brands, five for seniors, and six for children-will allay some of those fears. All but one of the products we tested met their label claims for key essential vitamins and minerals, and none contained worrisome levels of contaminants such as arsenic or heavy metals. Most of the pills we tested also passed the U.S. Pharmacopeia's dissolution test, which involves immersing them in a simulated stomach-acid solution to determine whether they'll dissolve properly in your body…the Poor Man is a strong believer in the use of a daily vitamin.
Doing Good: directory of 800 stores that donate to the charity of your choice when you purchase online. Visit: www.IGive.com
Weed through political campaign BS with this non-partisan group:
www.FactCheck.org
Public Records Locator
Find property records, foreclosures, sex offenders/fugitive reports, government salaries (that will be an eye-opener) and more at this useful site:
http://PublicRecords.onlinesearches.com
I Want Your Money-Watch the trailer
Politicians seldom listen to the people as we’re merely serfs, working to provide for them and their corporate masters so I plan on seeing this movie asap…I Want Your Money. You can watch the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wty7974IKg
Learn How To Be An Internet Entrepreneur
Listen in on a three-hour conversation between internet marketing legend Corey Rudl and mentor Dan Kennedy, discussing advanced techniques for becoming an Internet multi-millionaire. Discover what 95% of Internet marketers are doing wrong, and learn the $10,000-a-month matchbook trick.
Learn more here...
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/a35.html
Note: Save yourself some money and skip the "Registration Backup Service." Just make a copy…years ago, in another life, I used to be on the same speaking circuit as Kennedy-you’ll benefit greatly from his material.
Wealthy Suburban Moms Becoming Frugal too…
"Someone told me you've gotten your monthly grocery bill down to $315," she says. "You have to tell me how you did it!"
The thrift is inspired by the body blows of a changing economy. In March 2009, member Sandra Wiiki lost her work-from-home job as a designer with a company that supplies interior plastics to Ford. Joy Behringer lost her position as a manager for an auto-related company in 2008 at the end of her six-week maternity leave. Her husband Jeff was out of work for 15 months until he found a new management job in June. Pamela Anderson, who helps run a local flower shop that her husband has owned for 31 years, has been coping with a steep downturn in business since 2008, when they lost a lucrative corporate account with Chrysler. Deschaine is scrimping to cope with the slow growth of her husband's graphic-design business.
Frugality First
While the moms spend plenty of time on traditional subjects - rambunctious kids, traveling husbands, visiting relatives - their conversation also embraces a topic that an earlier generation of Grosse Pointe ladies would have carefully avoided: living with less money. "More than ever, part of your responsibility for your family is being aware of your budget," says club president Gabriela Boddy, a former industrial engineer who left her job by choice. "People don't want to waste the money that is so hard to make these days."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20101010/us_time/09171201961900
Money for Gold Companies Tested
An investigative TV consumer report reveals that consumers wanting to convert old gold jewelry to cash may only get a tiny fraction of the value of the gold in those items. [video]
Weekend Project: YouTube Downloads, Mashups, Screencasts, and More
So you've read our DIY guide to viral video, and you've been keeping tabs on the Internet's latest in Viral Views. Now you're all hyped up to start making some videos and mashups of your own, but there's just one catch: You wouldn't be caught dead in front of a camera. Fear not, we have a few tools that can help.
Here’s a fun little free clip we made using some of the tools outlined below:
The Poor Man made a quick Search Story video using Google’s YouTube free creator-check it out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF7BmtgZISo
Make Simple Mashups With YouTube Doubler
Usher's song "Papers": Not funny. A goat yelling in a vaguely human manner: Not funny. Playing the two of them at once with YouTube Doubler: Hilarious.
YouTube Doubler lets you play two YouTube videos simultaneously. Just plug two video URLs into the corresponding fields, use the 'Start (seconds)' fields to choose where on each video's timeline you want to begin, and get mashing…get more tips and resources at:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/207217/weekend_project_youtube_downloads_mashups_screencasts_and_more.html?tk=nl_wbx_h_crawl2
Get 21 Cutting Edge Strategies for Protecting Your Privacy
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0Bxv8umI4Tf6lYTk3YTEyNTQtYWNlYi00MWM3LTlhZGYtYzIwOWQ2MWJmMjc0&hl=en&authkey=CP2LsZQF
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“No other country comes close in terms of the amount of resources controlled, seized, transferred, and destroyed by lawyers and judges than the United States.”--The Economist
Who’s upset over the economy? Everybody, everywhere
Anger: It's the defining political emotion of this . It's boiling across the country, much of it directed at President Obama and the congressional Democrats over the way they have handled the economy. Not far behind is dissatisfaction.
The combination, detected in a new ABC News/Yahoo! , spells trouble for Democrats three weeks out from the election. Angry people, analysts say, go out and vote. Dissatisfied people tend to stay home.
With the recovery stalling, unemployment stuck at 9.6 percent and the housing crisis entering a dangerous new phase as bungled paperwork and outright fraud force a halt to foreclosures across the country, there's plenty to get upset about.
More at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/whos-upset-over-the-economy-everybody-everywhere
"It is said that power corrupts,
but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible.
The sane are usually attracted by other things than power."
-- David Brin
(1950- ) Author
Stuff survivalist should not stockpile
From time to time I see discussions on the forums about gear and supplies that survivalist should invest into – like a berkey water filter, mountain house foods, or long term food storage items. For the sake of discussion, lets talk about stuff you should not invest into.
Before investing a lot of money into a project, there are some things to consider. The first consideration is “can you “really” afford it? It would be nice to have half a million dollars to drop into 1,000 acres in Alaska and a 2 story cabin. But the fact is, most people can not afford such luxuries. Next, do you really “need” the supplies? Or, are you buying the supplies just to have them?
Gold – As of today, October 5, 2010 the price of gold is $1,333.95 per ounce. For the average working middle class family, who is struggling to pay a house note, electric bill, insurance, buy food,,,,,, forking out $1,333 for an ounce of gold is out of the question. In a lot of cases, that $1,333 would pay1 or 2 house notes. Having a place to live is more important then trying to buy gold in these tough financial times. If your one of the lucky few that money is not an issue, then maybe buying gold is right up your alley.
If gold was at $400, and a family had some extra money they could invest, then sure, maybe buy some gold. But if you buy it right now, how much higher can the price go before it starts to go back down. I see buying gold right now, as the same thing as getting into a pyramid scam. The people that got in early make the most money – the people that get in late lose the most money.
Meals Ready to Eat – the good ole MRE is not a top pick for a survivalist food. Sure the military hands them out by the case, but the military also has plenty of money. Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.survivalboards.com/2010-10-05/stuff-survivalist-should-not-stockpile/
Guest interview excerpt from the respected Weiss Group…
"Is the recent rise in gold prices an indication of a lack of confidence in the government?"
…asked voters what they think about the economy and we found that most voters do not believe or do not accept Washington's claims about the recovery.
Only 38% say the economy is recovering slowly but surely. Meanwhile, 58.3% say the economy is already sinking into another recession or is still in a long-term recession.
Martin: Peg, one of our readers, is apparently in the latter group. She writes:
"We are not caught in a recession. We are caught in a growing DEPRESSION, and our big houses are the home to our extended families — like the Waltons."
Here's another reader in that camp, who writes:
"A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose your job. And the only reason the folks in Washington think we have neither is because they and their neighbors across the aisle still have their jobs."
He says his intent is to help fix that particular problem come November. Plus, we have a question from Steven for you:
"John, what actions of the existing government are most disliked by the American people?"
John: We asked voters very specific questions about that. We asked, for instance: "If someone is having difficulty meeting their mortgage payments, do you think the government should provide financial assistance to help them avoid foreclosure, or not?"
Only 27.5% of likely voters said "Yes, help them avoid foreclosure." But double that number — 55.1% — said "No, don't help them." In other words, for each voter who said yes, two people said no!
We also asked voters about bank bailouts: "If another big bank fails, do you think the government should bail it out or let it fail?"
More than 80% said "let it fail." Only 6.6% said "bail it out." So for every voter in favor of bank bailouts, there were 12 voters against the bailouts.
THROW-THE-BUMS-OUT" sentiment is not strictly the domain of Tea Party supporters, is it? For example, I have some interesting quotations here submitted by folks who are not Tea Party supporters. One person quotes Will Rogers who said
"Congress is the finest body of men money can buy."
Another quotes Benjamin Franklin who said
"No man's life, liberty or fortune is safe while our legislature is in session."
For more information and archived issues, visit http://www.moneyandmarkets.com
What is the best thing the government can do to stimulate the growth of business and the economy?
"Constitutional law requires that any rule, regulation, law, statute pass Constitutional muster by protecting the public health, welfare, morals or safety. Most regulatory schemes are self serving and do not meet that Constitutional requirement. Reduce the regulatory mess in this country."
- Keith Allison
"Lets cut the huge, unproductive government overhead. Squeeze the bloated and overcompensated civil service. Stop federal government spending financed by borrowing. Get entitlement costs under control (Obama Care, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security). Otherwise these programs will engulf discretionary spending and wipe out national defense and security budgets. Keep taxes low by retaining the Bush tax cuts and resisting attempts to expand the public sector through additional local, state, and federal government taxes. A healthy and growing economy should generate all the tax revenues that government needs. We could use another Hoover Commission to streamline and rationalize government and make it more efficient. It seems like the larger the government gets the greater the bureauracy grows and the less that actually gets done (less from more). Stop the push toward European style socialism. The Europeans came to America because it was better to live and work here than where they were in the old country. Americans are not moving to Europe to live under socialsim. Let's quit the war against capitalism and implement policies that let us thrive and provide the things we need for our high standard of living. Stop stonewalling energy production here in the U.S. Stop harassing the domestic automobile industry. Open up international trade to reduce foreign tariffs or other barriers and sell more goods and services worldwide. Elect government officials that know how our economic system works and what government can do to make it work better." Thanks to Caroline for sending these to us!
Parting thoughts and an offer…
Coming soon… Poor Man got rights to the Foxfire …Affairs of Plain Living, Eliot Wigginton, editor
A tremendous book series published since 1969 about rural Appalachian skills such as making moon shine, building a cabin, smoking meat, handling snakes, planting by signs and a whole bunch of useful stuff. These are from microfiche files and I have the first six books on CD ROMS now ready to ship…For subscribers the cost for the next 30-days will be only $4.95 shipping included…you would expect to pay $10 each for used copies on eBay plus postage.
I’m also including three bonus PDFs
Book of the New Alchemists
Village Technology Handbook
Hydroponics Guide
These bonus books provide additional resources from drilling a well to growing stuff indoors…they make a nice compliment to the FoxFire series. If you wish to pre-order-PayPal account to send us $4.95-use our PayPal address of:
PoorManSurvivor@yahoo.com
Finally, if you purchased the Poor Man mega-deal package recently, you may have found a problem opening or finding the entire file for Poor Man III…let me know & I will send you the file in a zip format (226 files are compressed)…Win XP & 7 have a free unzip utility built in, but if you don’t have one, get a free program Zip Reader 8 at:
http://www.tucows.com/preview/367355
Microsoft is ending its free blogger and we’re migrating some of our content to WordPress and may have to migrate our downloadable Docs to Google…as a test, we uploaded the free 21 Cutting Edge Strategies to Protect Your Privacy to Google Docs so test it out by downloading the free file! Most likely, we’ll be transferring our other files there too in the coming weeks…work never ends!
Your Contrarian, muckraking Poor Man!
Raise Funds for Your Group, Save on Eco Products, Advice
http://www.GreenIrene.Com/PoorMan
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Find survival and self sufficiency books & more
http://www.OldBookNook.com
Our Mission: To protect and promote your freedom, civil rights, financial well being and overall self reliance in these turbulent times.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sell Your Hair for Cash, Terrorists Winning in US
Bruce’s Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
Inside this issue:
Sell your hair for cash
Preserving your harvest
Ditch your paper towels
Pet health insurance, pet tips
UnPatriot Act Means Terrorists are winning
Economic collapse update-Autumn
“Dominate, Intimidate, Control!” Actual sign displayed at a TSA training center reflecting the mentality toward air travelers.
We’ll leave the light on for you-Our little cabin arrives!
It’s here and you can view a few photos of it at our website at the Cheap Housing tab. It got here faster than we expected and there were some last minute adjustments to the foundation and of course, more work in the area of hookups for the well water and septic, skirting, etc…still waiting for the quote on the solar and wind turbine.
Very nicely crafted and it included many energy saving features including CFR bulbs and an overhead ceiling fan. Even though it has an energy efficient hot water heater, we’re going to construct our own solar hot water heater also.
The ZookCabin driver took the time to call us frequently from the road to tell us of his progress and he’s mighty good at using his multi-tasking flatbed truck…terrific hydraulic system and thankfully, we did not require a Pettibone (essentially a truck with crane) as we had been advised might be needed (would have cost us another grand or so)…set up and placement took under 90-minutes.
The cabin is small however, and we had been looking at various options including pre-made barns and gardening sheds we had seen at a local lumber store to enhance the storage options and even viewed one as a potential 2nd bedroom…when lo & behold, something even better came along that should be in place soon.
We found a 2bdrm/1 bath used mobile home in good condition…simply no appliances, sink, heater, hot water heater and in need of cosmetic work (mostly painting, switch plates, some carpeting)…it will be setup directly behind the cabin and connected so we can use either the current H2O heater or solar one for both…effectively tripling the amount of living space and even with delivery (we’re helping) will be under budget.
Most of the remodeling costs, such as a replacement sink, switch plates, and so on, will be purchased at our area Rehab resale shop (if you have a Habitat for Humanity in your area, check to see if they have a resale shop…we’ve already picked up a well bladder for $10 and several rolls of insulation for under the cabin for $4 a roll and a new bathroom sink with fixtures for $15...can‘t beat it). Of course, we’ll do much of the work ourselves saving even more cash.
It’s a pretty easy task to run dual lines for the water supply and electric and in the spring, we’ll hide much of everything with shrubbery and we’re set back from the road far enough that the housing area, barn or chicken coupe aren’t immediately visible.
Having been an office jockey exec most of my life, this has been a valuable learning experience (still have much to learn, but it saves lots of loot) so far and proves that with the right approach, one can still have a small, mortgage-free homestead and save a lot of money.
>>>>
"There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."-- James Madison
This week’s resources & goodies
Three ways to ditch paper towels
Sure, using 100-percent recycled paper products beats using paper towels made from virgin fiber, but the greenest option is to skip the paper towels all together.
Whether you're in the kitchen, cleaning up spills, or out and about, there are reusable options that can help you save a tree…more at:
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/96/three-ways-to-ditch-paper-towels.html
Sell Your Hair for Cash-another easy means of generating extra cash!
Here's How:
Verify your eligibility. Buyers are looking for healthy, "virgin" hair that is 10 inches long or longer. If your hair has been dyed, bleached, permed or you're a smoker, you aren't likely to find a buyer. Get rest of story here:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makingmoney/ht/How-To-Sell-Your-Hair-For-Cash.htm?nl=1
WatchedItem.com
This is a pretty cool site for searching for eBay items! Under 'Get to the Good Stuff on eBay!' (across the top) there are three tabs: Popular Item Search, Top 500 Most Popular, and Blog. The example below shows the top half of the website home page; the bottom of the page has a huge list of Most Attention Grabbing Auctions, as well as a Recent Search bar along the right side. If you want to look for great deals and need a lot of different options to work with, try WatchedItem.com.
PayPal Answers Questions about off-eBay Buyer Protection
PayPal announced last week it would extend its buyer protection
program to off-eBay websites effective November 1, 2010. Wendy
Roberts, Consumer Protections at PayPal, put together a response
to questions sellers were asking, including those found on the
AuctionBytes Letters to the Editor blog.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m10/i06/s01
Solar Energy SmartStart Guide
Download our Solar Energy Smart Start Guide. This is the fastest and easiest way to learn what you need to know to get started with solar energy.
http://www.cheetahpower.net/
Pet Health Insurance Can Be a Good Buy
Pet health insurance can be a good buy if your animal is predisposed to certain conditions and the insurer will cover those conditions. Example: Dachshunds often develop herniated discs. Insurance also should cover trauma, in case a pet breaks a leg or is hit by a car. Treatment can cost thousands of dollars without insurance. Pet insurance usually costs about $1.50 a day. Read policies very carefully because many limit what they cover and restrict how much they will pay even for covered events. Providers include Purina, the ASPCA, Hartville Pet Insurance and others. The company you choose should be licensed in your state so that you are not left with unpaid bills if the company folds.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Lee Rosenberg, CFP, principal, ARS Financial Services, Inc., Jericho, New York.
NOTE: The Poor Man’s wife (the Poor Wife) has worked for years in a vet hospital and agrees insurance, in most cases, is a good investment as vet care is not inexpensive. Also, here is an idea she uses…Avon’s Skin-so-Soft has worked as an effective flea repellent for dogs. She uses about 1.5 to 2 ounces to one gallon of water and sponge dipped flea-ridden dogs…although not quite as good as a flea dip it does give their coat a nice sheen!
It’s also handy to repel mosquitos from humans!
More on pets???
Some people enjoy skunks as pets and have them de-scented…but if you or your dog come in contact with them, try this recipe for removing the odor.
1 qt of 3% hydrogen peroxide
¼ pound baking soda
A pinch or so of liquid laundry detergent
Mix a fresh batch each time the need arises…wash the problem areas and rinse well!
Get rid of mice by placing Bounce brand dryer sheets in your drawers, closets, cabinets, etc. Mice should leave as they dislike the odor; generic brands don’t work as well so I guess this a plug for Bounce.
Estimated cost to caulk & weatherstrip a 2,000 sq ft home
This estimate is based on a national average IF you had to do everything on your home and includes installation of vinyl weatherstripping and door sweeps - materials=$150
If you hire a contractor…$750 (labor and markup). A caulking gun is your best defense!
The AMAC Challenge
--An alternative to AARP, which many have grown to dislike
Our new membership website is www.joinamac.us
Or Call 888-262-2006 or 877-461-7868
Be sure to use our member-get-a-member code: MGM2010.
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Once was the time that the Democrat Party was the embodiment of individual responsibility and states' rights. But the party was led astray by "useful idiots" on the Left, and by the end of Franklin Roosevelt's reign, the Party had been turned on end.
Preserving the Harvest
Different methods work well with different foods; try each to find your favorite.
by Kris Wetherbee
Preserving garden and orchard bounty is an easy way to save money while packing away some very good food for wintertime eating. Through the years I have canned thousands of jars, dried just about everything under the sun and filled my freezer many times over with our own homegrown produce. Why? For the simple reason that home-preserved foods from garden-fresh fruits and veggies are healthy, taste wonderful, and you know exactly how that produce was grown.
Pick your preference
Canning, freezing and dehydrating are three tasty ways to preserve the garden’s bounty from season to season. The method you choose depends on the type of food you’ve grown, your eating preferences, and the type of equipment that you buy, borrow or already have on hand.
Some foods are fantastic when canned, especially pickled foods (pepper relish, dill pickles and sauerkraut, for example), prepared foods (such as fruit sauces, homemade pasta sauces and soups), certain vegetables (particularly tomatoes, green beans and corn), and fruits (especially peaches, apricots, apples and Asian pears).
Freezing is great for retaining the color, texture and nutrients of many fruits and vegetables. The amount of prep time involved depends on the produce – certain vegetables need to be blanched before freezing in order to preserve the texture. You might need a bigger freezer to accommodate the results of your freezing endeavors.
Dehydrating is an economical way to preserve certain foods since it requires very little equipment. And the significant reduction in size from fresh to dehydrated makes dried foods easier to store.
Canning criteria
Proper canning techniques – which include sustained high heat – destroy enzymes, stop the growth and activity of microorganisms that cause foods to spoil and contribute to food poisoning, and create a vacuum seal to prevent further spoilage.
Trust me, canning is not difficult. But following the rules and paying attention to detail are critical to ensure safe food and high-quality results. Before you start, I highly recommend that you get your hands on an updated canning book such as the Ball Blue Book, or contact your local county extension agent so you have all the step-by-step canning information needed.
Foods can be canned in either a pressure canner or a boiling-water canner. Acidic foods with a pH of 4.6 or lower can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner (212 degrees Fahrenheit). These include fruits, jams, jellies, relishes, most tomatoes, and anything pickled in a vinegar solution, such as pickled vegetables. To increase the acidity of low-acid tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid per quart of processed tomatoes.
Low-acid foods are processed at a higher temperature (240 degrees) using a steam pressure canner with either a weighted or dial gauge. These include all seafood, meats, milk and fresh vegetables, with the exception of tomatoes. This is where canning can become a bit more complex. If you’re new to canning it’s best to start with something simple, like blackberry preserves or dill pickles.
Other canning essentials include glass canning jars designed to withstand heat shock. Use jars with narrow openings for semi-solid foods like jams and sauces. Wide-mouth jars are easier to pack and retrieve pickles, peaches and other solid foods. Each jar will need a two-piece lid consisting of a new metal vacuum lid and a metal screw ring (band). Rings may be reused, but lids must always be new. You’ll also need a funnel for filling jars, a heat-resistant spatula for removing air bubbles, a rubber-coated lifter for removing the hot processed jars from the canner and a cooking timer.
Freezing fundamentals
Freezing preserves fruits and vegetables, and their fabulous freshness, flavor, texture and nutrients, by slowing down enzyme activity and growth of microorganisms via extreme cold set at zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
Fruits and herbs are ideal to freeze as are many vegetables. Young, tender vegetables are best for freezing. (Vegetables that are mature or slightly past mature are better suited to canning.) Fruits can be frozen using the “flash-freeze” method, or by packing them in syrup (wet pack). To flash-freeze, place washed and drained fruit in a single layer on trays lined with wax paper and freeze until fruit is firm. (Chop or slice large fruit such as apples; leave berries and other small fruit whole.) Flash-frozen fruit stored in airtight freezer containers or snap-and-seal type freezer bags makes it easy to pour out the exact amount needed for blueberry muffins or apple pie.
When cutting certain fruits, such as peaches, apples and pears, you’ll need to coat them with lemon juice, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) or honey prior to freezing to keep them from turning brown. Either mix it with the prepared fruit and syrup for the wet pack method, or mix with water and dip fruit prior to flash-freezing.
Many vegetables and herbs (including whole corn kernels) can be frozen for up to four weeks by “flash-freezing” or popping them directly into a freezer-safe container or bag. However, if you plan to store food for longer than four weeks in the freezer, most veggies will need to be blanched first.
Blanching involves heating food for several minutes in boiling water to inactivate enzymes and prevent the breakdown in the texture, flavor and color of vegetables. Green onions, tomatoes, hot peppers, most herbs and sweet peppers cut into strips or chunks are the exception to the blanching rule and will freeze well without it. The key to blanching is to process veggies in small batches, then immediately cool the blanched batch in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Drying is easy
You can dry foods in several ways: Sun drying, oven drying and using a food dehydrator. Regardless of the drying method, the process is basically the same – warm air temperatures evaporate the moisture in foods. Remove the moisture and you remove the potential for spoilage. The key is to keep the surrounding temperature between 95 and 140 degrees. Foods dried at lower temperatures are subject to spoilage; higher temperatures will cook foods rather than dry them. Adequate air circulation and less than 60 percent relative humidity are also essential to successful drying.
Sun drying can take up to five days, plus food can lose up to half its nutrients, and temperatures are often inconsistent. The downside to oven drying is that the oven is in use so you can't cook meals. Fruit dried in the oven may also be less flavorful.
The food dehydrator is the best of the bunch and well worth the investment. Garden produce from zucchini, corn, sweet peppers and tomatoes, to grapes, cherries and strawberries can be dried 24/7 without your constant supervision. (High-moisture foods like cucumbers and melons do not dry well and are best suited to freezing.) Drying time varies from several hours to a day or two, with food dehydrators with a fan or blower drying the fastest. The smaller and more uniform the food, the faster it dries.
Whether canned, frozen or dried, always use quality produce, wash fresh fruits and vegetables, and be sure to process them within hours of harvesting. Have all your food and supplies prepared and ready before you begin. And make sure you label each jar, container or bag with both name and date. In the end, you may discover that you enjoy preserving your harvest as much as you do growing it.
Spiced Blackberry Preserves
1 pound blackberries
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3 ounces pectin (1/2 of 6-ounce bottle)
In kettle or large pot, combine berries, sugar, lemon juice and spices. Bring to rolling boil and boil hard, uncovered, for 1 minute while stirring. Remove pot from heat and stir in pectin. Skim foam, then pour into sterilized half-pint jars and seal. Yields 5 to 6 half-pints.
Garden Fresh Salsa
10 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (about 6 pounds)
2 large onions, chopped
2 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
3 mildly hot peppers (such as Anaheim), seeded and chopped
4 to 6 medium to hot peppers (such as Serrano), seeded and minced
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil or cilantro
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
Juice from 2 limes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Combine all ingredients together in large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. Yields about 6 pints.
Crispy Dill Pickles
8 pounds pickling cucumbers
6 tablespoons dill seed, divided
2 tablespoons pickling spice, divided
12 whole black peppercorns, divided
12 garlic cloves, divided
12 grape leaves, divided
6 cups vinegar
6 cups water
3 tablespoons salt
Prepare 6 quart or 12 pint canning jars. Wash and drain cucumbers. If cucumbers are larger than 4 inches, cut in half lengthwise. Pack cucumbers in clean, hot jars. For each quart jar, add 1 tablespoon dill seed, 1 teaspoon pickling spice, 2 whole black peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves and 2 grape leaves. Divide in half if using pint jars. Combine vinegar, water and salt in large saucepot; bring to a boil. Fill packed jars with boiling vinegar solution to within 1/2 inch from top of jar for quarts; 1/4 inch from top of jar for pints. Process in boiling water canner, 10 minutes for pint jars or 15 minutes for quart jars. Yields 6 quarts or 12 pints.
Excerpted from GRIT, Celebrating Rural America Since 1882. To read more articles from GRIT, please visit www.Grit.com or call (866) 624-9388 to subscribe. Copyright 2010 by Ogden Publications Inc.
"Unless they can pass the same test that immigrants must pass to become citizens, people shouldn't be allowed to vote. The idea that there is some public benefit in ignoramuses and morons pulling levers next to names on a ballot is one of the evil myths of post-modern America. The purpose of voting, in our country, is to select men and women with the competence and integrity to operate the mechanics of government fixed by our Constitution. For this process to have any public benefit requires that the choices be made on an intelligent, knowledgeable and reasoned basis."
-- Charley Reese
Source: The Orlando Sentinel,
Economic Collapse Update: Acceleration In Autumn
Our current economy is a shell game. A grand fraud designed to siphon more and more tangible wealth (not fiat wealth) from the average person and transport it post-haste into the silk lined pockets of a corporate banking minority. The goal? To reduce the self sufficiency of American citizens to the point of total fiscal and social dependence on the top 1% richest men in the world. Conspiracy theory? Not in the slightest. Just a cold hard fact of history. “Feudalism” is, sadly, rampant in the annals of human culture. Anyone who believes that our modern era is somehow different is simply fooling themselves. Elitists seek power over others, they always have and they always will, and, the most efficient way to gain control over the lives of the masses is through engineered imbalances in economy.
Every time you hear the term “bailout”, or “quantitative easing”, just think “wealth transference”. Every dollar that is printed from thin air by the private Federal Reserve and handed to a globalist entity like Goldman Sachs or AIG through our Treasury represents yet another dollar of debt (and another percentage of interest) that you, the U.S. taxpayer, and your children, are expected to eventually pay for without ever seeing any benefits.
Right now, at this very moment, you and your descendents for generations to come are being enslaved by forcefully imposed usury. Our country has been “volunteered” for a financial debasement on a scale that dwarfs the Great Depression or even the Weimar catastrophe. We ignore this reality at our peril.
NOTE: I don’t know this writer but he seems to concur with what the Poor Man has been writing…read the rest at: http://neithercorp.us/npress/?p=812
OBAMA WANTS INTERNET WIRETAPS:
Next year, President Obama plans to submit a bill to Congress that will seek to make it legal for the government to wiretap online communications—including encrypted BlackBerry email, Facebook, and Skype. Law-enforcement officials say the rise of online communication has rendered their ability to wiretap telephones less useful. “They are really asking for the authority to redesign services that take advantage of the unique, and now pervasive, architecture of the Internet,” said the vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology. “They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function.
Terrorists Win
As our government passes more laws restricting our rights in the name of “protecting” us, it’s just a sign that the terrorists are winning. We now have a shadow government made up of ‘security’ contractors and the legislators who get campaign funds from these corporations…with its growth, our financial privacy is gone, out the window, zero…the UnPatriot Act has violated just about everything our Constitution and Bill of Rights guaranteed.
We now live in a 1984-style surveillance state where cell phone, email, fax communications are routinely monitored by the government. There are tracking devices in every cell phone (to locate us in the event of a 911 emergency call) and you can be tracked each time your phone is turned on. Some newer phones which appear to be turned off, actually go into a low-power sleep mode and can be tracked.
Detection devices are available from spy shops and online. The MCD-22H can detect bugs, hidden cameras, and GPS tracking devices attached without your knowledge to your car, etc. - available at: www.countersurveillance.com
"A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man,
which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."
-- G. Gordon Liddy
Parting thoughts…
The S&P just closed out it's best September in years with a rip-roaring move to the upside. The path of least resistance is higher...for now. The stronger market may bode well for incumbents in November, as the mood of the country seems to flip-flop with the direction of the market.
While every cloud may have a silver lining, the current forecast for the US is not as clear. Government spending remains out of control, and that's just for the stuff we know about. There are so many off-balance sheet unfounded mandates that we are unaware about that could magnify the deficit beyond anyone's most pessimistic projections. Just one example is the unfunded liabilities for veteran's health care. For vets coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the liability is projected to be more than $1.3 trillion dollars by 2020.
PARIS – Fresh fears of a looming international currency war sent the dollar to an eight-month low against the euro Thursday as top world financial officials cautioned that competing devaluations of countries' currencies could threaten the global economic recovery.
The US dollar is noticeably lower now than it was just a few months ago and the no-end-in-sight debt issues of the US are directly to blame. Commodity prices are booming, still, with Gold topping $1,300 per ounce for the first time. If there was an easy fix, I would suggest it. But, short of a freeze on government spending and the inevitable cuts in entitlement spending for social security and Medicare, nothing much could make a dent in the astronomical liabilities the US is responsible for.
US assets cheap. The cheapest and most attractive US asset for foreigners is real estate. For foreign investors, the advantage is two fold. First the US housing collapse has sent prices spiraling downward. Second, the weak dollar means an even larger discount. The two biggest foreign buyers of US real estate today are Canadians and the Chinese.
The case for owning commodities and investing in commodity-based countries continues to strengthen. The Poor Man warned in last week’s issue that commodity prices are headed up…the reason I include these observations in your bulletin is so you have an understanding of what’s going on and why your money buys less.
The US debt situation has me and a lot of others scared. I don’t see any way out of this debt crisis. The US government borrows 40% of its budget…this has happened throughout history to governments, not just the US and in every single case, the country experienced hyperinflation.
It's the deficit - all $1.47 trillion of it - that has most people worried.
The Fed's goal is clearly to debase the U.S. dollar in order to create inflation. Or in the infamous words of now-Chairman Ben Bernanke from November 2002 ...
"U.S. dollars have value only to the extent that they are strictly limited in supply. But the U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost.
"By increasing the number of U.S. dollars in circulation, or even by credibly threatening to do so, the U.S. government can also reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is equivalent to raising the prices in dollars of those goods and services.
"We conclude that, under a paper-money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence positive inflation."
The worst possible investment you could make today would be to buy US treasuries, especially long term bonds. With yields approaching 3% on the 30-year bond, you are locking yourself in for decades of misery…you are probably better off investing in land, food, gold and silver, guns and ammo…just my humble opinion - at least you won’t starve following my advice!
Yours for better living - Bruce ‘The Poor Man’
Feel free to weigh in on the comments and news articles presented in the Poor Man Bulletin
Send to: Poormansurvivor@yahoo.com
http://www.PoormanSurvival.com
http://www.OldBookNook.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
A Shallow Planet Production
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
Inside this issue:
Sell your hair for cash
Preserving your harvest
Ditch your paper towels
Pet health insurance, pet tips
UnPatriot Act Means Terrorists are winning
Economic collapse update-Autumn
“Dominate, Intimidate, Control!” Actual sign displayed at a TSA training center reflecting the mentality toward air travelers.
We’ll leave the light on for you-Our little cabin arrives!
It’s here and you can view a few photos of it at our website at the Cheap Housing tab. It got here faster than we expected and there were some last minute adjustments to the foundation and of course, more work in the area of hookups for the well water and septic, skirting, etc…still waiting for the quote on the solar and wind turbine.
Very nicely crafted and it included many energy saving features including CFR bulbs and an overhead ceiling fan. Even though it has an energy efficient hot water heater, we’re going to construct our own solar hot water heater also.
The ZookCabin driver took the time to call us frequently from the road to tell us of his progress and he’s mighty good at using his multi-tasking flatbed truck…terrific hydraulic system and thankfully, we did not require a Pettibone (essentially a truck with crane) as we had been advised might be needed (would have cost us another grand or so)…set up and placement took under 90-minutes.
The cabin is small however, and we had been looking at various options including pre-made barns and gardening sheds we had seen at a local lumber store to enhance the storage options and even viewed one as a potential 2nd bedroom…when lo & behold, something even better came along that should be in place soon.
We found a 2bdrm/1 bath used mobile home in good condition…simply no appliances, sink, heater, hot water heater and in need of cosmetic work (mostly painting, switch plates, some carpeting)…it will be setup directly behind the cabin and connected so we can use either the current H2O heater or solar one for both…effectively tripling the amount of living space and even with delivery (we’re helping) will be under budget.
Most of the remodeling costs, such as a replacement sink, switch plates, and so on, will be purchased at our area Rehab resale shop (if you have a Habitat for Humanity in your area, check to see if they have a resale shop…we’ve already picked up a well bladder for $10 and several rolls of insulation for under the cabin for $4 a roll and a new bathroom sink with fixtures for $15...can‘t beat it). Of course, we’ll do much of the work ourselves saving even more cash.
It’s a pretty easy task to run dual lines for the water supply and electric and in the spring, we’ll hide much of everything with shrubbery and we’re set back from the road far enough that the housing area, barn or chicken coupe aren’t immediately visible.
Having been an office jockey exec most of my life, this has been a valuable learning experience (still have much to learn, but it saves lots of loot) so far and proves that with the right approach, one can still have a small, mortgage-free homestead and save a lot of money.
>>>>
"There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."-- James Madison
This week’s resources & goodies
Three ways to ditch paper towels
Sure, using 100-percent recycled paper products beats using paper towels made from virgin fiber, but the greenest option is to skip the paper towels all together.
Whether you're in the kitchen, cleaning up spills, or out and about, there are reusable options that can help you save a tree…more at:
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/96/three-ways-to-ditch-paper-towels.html
Sell Your Hair for Cash-another easy means of generating extra cash!
Here's How:
Verify your eligibility. Buyers are looking for healthy, "virgin" hair that is 10 inches long or longer. If your hair has been dyed, bleached, permed or you're a smoker, you aren't likely to find a buyer. Get rest of story here:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makingmoney/ht/How-To-Sell-Your-Hair-For-Cash.htm?nl=1
WatchedItem.com
This is a pretty cool site for searching for eBay items! Under 'Get to the Good Stuff on eBay!' (across the top) there are three tabs: Popular Item Search, Top 500 Most Popular, and Blog. The example below shows the top half of the website home page; the bottom of the page has a huge list of Most Attention Grabbing Auctions, as well as a Recent Search bar along the right side. If you want to look for great deals and need a lot of different options to work with, try WatchedItem.com.
PayPal Answers Questions about off-eBay Buyer Protection
PayPal announced last week it would extend its buyer protection
program to off-eBay websites effective November 1, 2010. Wendy
Roberts, Consumer Protections at PayPal, put together a response
to questions sellers were asking, including those found on the
AuctionBytes Letters to the Editor blog.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m10/i06/s01
Solar Energy SmartStart Guide
Download our Solar Energy Smart Start Guide. This is the fastest and easiest way to learn what you need to know to get started with solar energy.
http://www.cheetahpower.net/
Pet Health Insurance Can Be a Good Buy
Pet health insurance can be a good buy if your animal is predisposed to certain conditions and the insurer will cover those conditions. Example: Dachshunds often develop herniated discs. Insurance also should cover trauma, in case a pet breaks a leg or is hit by a car. Treatment can cost thousands of dollars without insurance. Pet insurance usually costs about $1.50 a day. Read policies very carefully because many limit what they cover and restrict how much they will pay even for covered events. Providers include Purina, the ASPCA, Hartville Pet Insurance and others. The company you choose should be licensed in your state so that you are not left with unpaid bills if the company folds.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Lee Rosenberg, CFP, principal, ARS Financial Services, Inc., Jericho, New York.
NOTE: The Poor Man’s wife (the Poor Wife) has worked for years in a vet hospital and agrees insurance, in most cases, is a good investment as vet care is not inexpensive. Also, here is an idea she uses…Avon’s Skin-so-Soft has worked as an effective flea repellent for dogs. She uses about 1.5 to 2 ounces to one gallon of water and sponge dipped flea-ridden dogs…although not quite as good as a flea dip it does give their coat a nice sheen!
It’s also handy to repel mosquitos from humans!
More on pets???
Some people enjoy skunks as pets and have them de-scented…but if you or your dog come in contact with them, try this recipe for removing the odor.
1 qt of 3% hydrogen peroxide
¼ pound baking soda
A pinch or so of liquid laundry detergent
Mix a fresh batch each time the need arises…wash the problem areas and rinse well!
Get rid of mice by placing Bounce brand dryer sheets in your drawers, closets, cabinets, etc. Mice should leave as they dislike the odor; generic brands don’t work as well so I guess this a plug for Bounce.
Estimated cost to caulk & weatherstrip a 2,000 sq ft home
This estimate is based on a national average IF you had to do everything on your home and includes installation of vinyl weatherstripping and door sweeps - materials=$150
If you hire a contractor…$750 (labor and markup). A caulking gun is your best defense!
The AMAC Challenge
--An alternative to AARP, which many have grown to dislike
Our new membership website is www.joinamac.us
Or Call 888-262-2006 or 877-461-7868
Be sure to use our member-get-a-member code: MGM2010.
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Once was the time that the Democrat Party was the embodiment of individual responsibility and states' rights. But the party was led astray by "useful idiots" on the Left, and by the end of Franklin Roosevelt's reign, the Party had been turned on end.
Preserving the Harvest
Different methods work well with different foods; try each to find your favorite.
by Kris Wetherbee
Preserving garden and orchard bounty is an easy way to save money while packing away some very good food for wintertime eating. Through the years I have canned thousands of jars, dried just about everything under the sun and filled my freezer many times over with our own homegrown produce. Why? For the simple reason that home-preserved foods from garden-fresh fruits and veggies are healthy, taste wonderful, and you know exactly how that produce was grown.
Pick your preference
Canning, freezing and dehydrating are three tasty ways to preserve the garden’s bounty from season to season. The method you choose depends on the type of food you’ve grown, your eating preferences, and the type of equipment that you buy, borrow or already have on hand.
Some foods are fantastic when canned, especially pickled foods (pepper relish, dill pickles and sauerkraut, for example), prepared foods (such as fruit sauces, homemade pasta sauces and soups), certain vegetables (particularly tomatoes, green beans and corn), and fruits (especially peaches, apricots, apples and Asian pears).
Freezing is great for retaining the color, texture and nutrients of many fruits and vegetables. The amount of prep time involved depends on the produce – certain vegetables need to be blanched before freezing in order to preserve the texture. You might need a bigger freezer to accommodate the results of your freezing endeavors.
Dehydrating is an economical way to preserve certain foods since it requires very little equipment. And the significant reduction in size from fresh to dehydrated makes dried foods easier to store.
Canning criteria
Proper canning techniques – which include sustained high heat – destroy enzymes, stop the growth and activity of microorganisms that cause foods to spoil and contribute to food poisoning, and create a vacuum seal to prevent further spoilage.
Trust me, canning is not difficult. But following the rules and paying attention to detail are critical to ensure safe food and high-quality results. Before you start, I highly recommend that you get your hands on an updated canning book such as the Ball Blue Book, or contact your local county extension agent so you have all the step-by-step canning information needed.
Foods can be canned in either a pressure canner or a boiling-water canner. Acidic foods with a pH of 4.6 or lower can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner (212 degrees Fahrenheit). These include fruits, jams, jellies, relishes, most tomatoes, and anything pickled in a vinegar solution, such as pickled vegetables. To increase the acidity of low-acid tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid per quart of processed tomatoes.
Low-acid foods are processed at a higher temperature (240 degrees) using a steam pressure canner with either a weighted or dial gauge. These include all seafood, meats, milk and fresh vegetables, with the exception of tomatoes. This is where canning can become a bit more complex. If you’re new to canning it’s best to start with something simple, like blackberry preserves or dill pickles.
Other canning essentials include glass canning jars designed to withstand heat shock. Use jars with narrow openings for semi-solid foods like jams and sauces. Wide-mouth jars are easier to pack and retrieve pickles, peaches and other solid foods. Each jar will need a two-piece lid consisting of a new metal vacuum lid and a metal screw ring (band). Rings may be reused, but lids must always be new. You’ll also need a funnel for filling jars, a heat-resistant spatula for removing air bubbles, a rubber-coated lifter for removing the hot processed jars from the canner and a cooking timer.
Freezing fundamentals
Freezing preserves fruits and vegetables, and their fabulous freshness, flavor, texture and nutrients, by slowing down enzyme activity and growth of microorganisms via extreme cold set at zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
Fruits and herbs are ideal to freeze as are many vegetables. Young, tender vegetables are best for freezing. (Vegetables that are mature or slightly past mature are better suited to canning.) Fruits can be frozen using the “flash-freeze” method, or by packing them in syrup (wet pack). To flash-freeze, place washed and drained fruit in a single layer on trays lined with wax paper and freeze until fruit is firm. (Chop or slice large fruit such as apples; leave berries and other small fruit whole.) Flash-frozen fruit stored in airtight freezer containers or snap-and-seal type freezer bags makes it easy to pour out the exact amount needed for blueberry muffins or apple pie.
When cutting certain fruits, such as peaches, apples and pears, you’ll need to coat them with lemon juice, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) or honey prior to freezing to keep them from turning brown. Either mix it with the prepared fruit and syrup for the wet pack method, or mix with water and dip fruit prior to flash-freezing.
Many vegetables and herbs (including whole corn kernels) can be frozen for up to four weeks by “flash-freezing” or popping them directly into a freezer-safe container or bag. However, if you plan to store food for longer than four weeks in the freezer, most veggies will need to be blanched first.
Blanching involves heating food for several minutes in boiling water to inactivate enzymes and prevent the breakdown in the texture, flavor and color of vegetables. Green onions, tomatoes, hot peppers, most herbs and sweet peppers cut into strips or chunks are the exception to the blanching rule and will freeze well without it. The key to blanching is to process veggies in small batches, then immediately cool the blanched batch in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Drying is easy
You can dry foods in several ways: Sun drying, oven drying and using a food dehydrator. Regardless of the drying method, the process is basically the same – warm air temperatures evaporate the moisture in foods. Remove the moisture and you remove the potential for spoilage. The key is to keep the surrounding temperature between 95 and 140 degrees. Foods dried at lower temperatures are subject to spoilage; higher temperatures will cook foods rather than dry them. Adequate air circulation and less than 60 percent relative humidity are also essential to successful drying.
Sun drying can take up to five days, plus food can lose up to half its nutrients, and temperatures are often inconsistent. The downside to oven drying is that the oven is in use so you can't cook meals. Fruit dried in the oven may also be less flavorful.
The food dehydrator is the best of the bunch and well worth the investment. Garden produce from zucchini, corn, sweet peppers and tomatoes, to grapes, cherries and strawberries can be dried 24/7 without your constant supervision. (High-moisture foods like cucumbers and melons do not dry well and are best suited to freezing.) Drying time varies from several hours to a day or two, with food dehydrators with a fan or blower drying the fastest. The smaller and more uniform the food, the faster it dries.
Whether canned, frozen or dried, always use quality produce, wash fresh fruits and vegetables, and be sure to process them within hours of harvesting. Have all your food and supplies prepared and ready before you begin. And make sure you label each jar, container or bag with both name and date. In the end, you may discover that you enjoy preserving your harvest as much as you do growing it.
Spiced Blackberry Preserves
1 pound blackberries
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3 ounces pectin (1/2 of 6-ounce bottle)
In kettle or large pot, combine berries, sugar, lemon juice and spices. Bring to rolling boil and boil hard, uncovered, for 1 minute while stirring. Remove pot from heat and stir in pectin. Skim foam, then pour into sterilized half-pint jars and seal. Yields 5 to 6 half-pints.
Garden Fresh Salsa
10 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (about 6 pounds)
2 large onions, chopped
2 sweet peppers, seeded and chopped
3 mildly hot peppers (such as Anaheim), seeded and chopped
4 to 6 medium to hot peppers (such as Serrano), seeded and minced
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil or cilantro
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
Juice from 2 limes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Combine all ingredients together in large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. Yields about 6 pints.
Crispy Dill Pickles
8 pounds pickling cucumbers
6 tablespoons dill seed, divided
2 tablespoons pickling spice, divided
12 whole black peppercorns, divided
12 garlic cloves, divided
12 grape leaves, divided
6 cups vinegar
6 cups water
3 tablespoons salt
Prepare 6 quart or 12 pint canning jars. Wash and drain cucumbers. If cucumbers are larger than 4 inches, cut in half lengthwise. Pack cucumbers in clean, hot jars. For each quart jar, add 1 tablespoon dill seed, 1 teaspoon pickling spice, 2 whole black peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves and 2 grape leaves. Divide in half if using pint jars. Combine vinegar, water and salt in large saucepot; bring to a boil. Fill packed jars with boiling vinegar solution to within 1/2 inch from top of jar for quarts; 1/4 inch from top of jar for pints. Process in boiling water canner, 10 minutes for pint jars or 15 minutes for quart jars. Yields 6 quarts or 12 pints.
Excerpted from GRIT, Celebrating Rural America Since 1882. To read more articles from GRIT, please visit www.Grit.com or call (866) 624-9388 to subscribe. Copyright 2010 by Ogden Publications Inc.
"Unless they can pass the same test that immigrants must pass to become citizens, people shouldn't be allowed to vote. The idea that there is some public benefit in ignoramuses and morons pulling levers next to names on a ballot is one of the evil myths of post-modern America. The purpose of voting, in our country, is to select men and women with the competence and integrity to operate the mechanics of government fixed by our Constitution. For this process to have any public benefit requires that the choices be made on an intelligent, knowledgeable and reasoned basis."
-- Charley Reese
Source: The Orlando Sentinel,
Economic Collapse Update: Acceleration In Autumn
Our current economy is a shell game. A grand fraud designed to siphon more and more tangible wealth (not fiat wealth) from the average person and transport it post-haste into the silk lined pockets of a corporate banking minority. The goal? To reduce the self sufficiency of American citizens to the point of total fiscal and social dependence on the top 1% richest men in the world. Conspiracy theory? Not in the slightest. Just a cold hard fact of history. “Feudalism” is, sadly, rampant in the annals of human culture. Anyone who believes that our modern era is somehow different is simply fooling themselves. Elitists seek power over others, they always have and they always will, and, the most efficient way to gain control over the lives of the masses is through engineered imbalances in economy.
Every time you hear the term “bailout”, or “quantitative easing”, just think “wealth transference”. Every dollar that is printed from thin air by the private Federal Reserve and handed to a globalist entity like Goldman Sachs or AIG through our Treasury represents yet another dollar of debt (and another percentage of interest) that you, the U.S. taxpayer, and your children, are expected to eventually pay for without ever seeing any benefits.
Right now, at this very moment, you and your descendents for generations to come are being enslaved by forcefully imposed usury. Our country has been “volunteered” for a financial debasement on a scale that dwarfs the Great Depression or even the Weimar catastrophe. We ignore this reality at our peril.
NOTE: I don’t know this writer but he seems to concur with what the Poor Man has been writing…read the rest at: http://neithercorp.us/npress/?p=812
OBAMA WANTS INTERNET WIRETAPS:
Next year, President Obama plans to submit a bill to Congress that will seek to make it legal for the government to wiretap online communications—including encrypted BlackBerry email, Facebook, and Skype. Law-enforcement officials say the rise of online communication has rendered their ability to wiretap telephones less useful. “They are really asking for the authority to redesign services that take advantage of the unique, and now pervasive, architecture of the Internet,” said the vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology. “They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function.
Terrorists Win
As our government passes more laws restricting our rights in the name of “protecting” us, it’s just a sign that the terrorists are winning. We now have a shadow government made up of ‘security’ contractors and the legislators who get campaign funds from these corporations…with its growth, our financial privacy is gone, out the window, zero…the UnPatriot Act has violated just about everything our Constitution and Bill of Rights guaranteed.
We now live in a 1984-style surveillance state where cell phone, email, fax communications are routinely monitored by the government. There are tracking devices in every cell phone (to locate us in the event of a 911 emergency call) and you can be tracked each time your phone is turned on. Some newer phones which appear to be turned off, actually go into a low-power sleep mode and can be tracked.
Detection devices are available from spy shops and online. The MCD-22H can detect bugs, hidden cameras, and GPS tracking devices attached without your knowledge to your car, etc. - available at: www.countersurveillance.com
"A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man,
which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."
-- G. Gordon Liddy
Parting thoughts…
The S&P just closed out it's best September in years with a rip-roaring move to the upside. The path of least resistance is higher...for now. The stronger market may bode well for incumbents in November, as the mood of the country seems to flip-flop with the direction of the market.
While every cloud may have a silver lining, the current forecast for the US is not as clear. Government spending remains out of control, and that's just for the stuff we know about. There are so many off-balance sheet unfounded mandates that we are unaware about that could magnify the deficit beyond anyone's most pessimistic projections. Just one example is the unfunded liabilities for veteran's health care. For vets coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the liability is projected to be more than $1.3 trillion dollars by 2020.
PARIS – Fresh fears of a looming international currency war sent the dollar to an eight-month low against the euro Thursday as top world financial officials cautioned that competing devaluations of countries' currencies could threaten the global economic recovery.
The US dollar is noticeably lower now than it was just a few months ago and the no-end-in-sight debt issues of the US are directly to blame. Commodity prices are booming, still, with Gold topping $1,300 per ounce for the first time. If there was an easy fix, I would suggest it. But, short of a freeze on government spending and the inevitable cuts in entitlement spending for social security and Medicare, nothing much could make a dent in the astronomical liabilities the US is responsible for.
US assets cheap. The cheapest and most attractive US asset for foreigners is real estate. For foreign investors, the advantage is two fold. First the US housing collapse has sent prices spiraling downward. Second, the weak dollar means an even larger discount. The two biggest foreign buyers of US real estate today are Canadians and the Chinese.
The case for owning commodities and investing in commodity-based countries continues to strengthen. The Poor Man warned in last week’s issue that commodity prices are headed up…the reason I include these observations in your bulletin is so you have an understanding of what’s going on and why your money buys less.
The US debt situation has me and a lot of others scared. I don’t see any way out of this debt crisis. The US government borrows 40% of its budget…this has happened throughout history to governments, not just the US and in every single case, the country experienced hyperinflation.
It's the deficit - all $1.47 trillion of it - that has most people worried.
The Fed's goal is clearly to debase the U.S. dollar in order to create inflation. Or in the infamous words of now-Chairman Ben Bernanke from November 2002 ...
"U.S. dollars have value only to the extent that they are strictly limited in supply. But the U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost.
"By increasing the number of U.S. dollars in circulation, or even by credibly threatening to do so, the U.S. government can also reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is equivalent to raising the prices in dollars of those goods and services.
"We conclude that, under a paper-money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence positive inflation."
The worst possible investment you could make today would be to buy US treasuries, especially long term bonds. With yields approaching 3% on the 30-year bond, you are locking yourself in for decades of misery…you are probably better off investing in land, food, gold and silver, guns and ammo…just my humble opinion - at least you won’t starve following my advice!
Yours for better living - Bruce ‘The Poor Man’
Feel free to weigh in on the comments and news articles presented in the Poor Man Bulletin
Send to: Poormansurvivor@yahoo.com
http://www.PoormanSurvival.com
http://www.OldBookNook.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
A Shallow Planet Production
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Get a Free Car, Free Woodshed Plans, Amazing Secret Bunker
Bruce’s Poor Man Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
In this issue:
1. Opting out of Social Security
2. Bottled water on the cheap for emergencies
3. Rising gold prices mean rising commodity prices ahead
4. How to get a free car
5. Buy a home-get a $100K discount
6. Mothers Home Business Network Resource
7. Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker, More useful stuff!
Go green - recycle Congress in 2010!
Government Spending Gone Wild!
For a couple of years now I’ve been trying to interest some TV producer in my game show The Middle Class Squeeze, without luck…now, I figure, I’ll try another show which I plan to call - government spending gone wild, a natural for the Fox Network!
With gold on a record-setting streak, and the battered ol' greenback plumbing new, multi-year lows, the debate over the "Battle of the 'flations" has returned with a vengeance.
We all know the government's CPI numbers are a junk stat...at best. For those of us living with the cost of food and energy, which the CPI reading conveniently excuses, the eroding purchasing power of the once- mighty US dollar is becoming an increasingly painful concern.
"Monetary warfare!" says The Financial Times. In North America, the US is pointing its heavy guns at China... the US Congress has proposed a bill naming China as a 'currency manipulator.' How, exactly, is China manipulating the renminbi? It is holding steadfast to the dollar! This, says US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, "translates into a significant subsidy, artificially making US products more expensive, and jeopardizing efforts to create and preserve manufacturing jobs in America."
Who would have figured?
You may have seen this on the news but I don’t recall seeing much play on network news (what a surprise)…but our Social Security system now takes in less than it pays out…after years of its funds being raided by Congress…
“The Social Security Trust Fund is misnamed. It cannot be trusted, and it is not funded.”
–Former US Comptroller General David Walker, July 2010.
It’s official, Social Security is essentially broke - How You can Opt out of Social Security
If David Walker – who was essentially the US government’s accountant from 1998-2008 – can make jokes like that about Social Security, we’re in trouble. Indeed, as we noted in our essay “The End of Social Security as We Know It”, the Social Security Trust recently began paying out more than it is taking in. Over the next 75 years, the Fund will require an additional $5.4 trillion to pay for scheduled benefits.
Given the deplorable fiscal condition of the Social Security Trust Fund, some forward-looking Americans are asking, “Why can’t I just opt out?” Even middle-aged members of the Baby Boom generation are wondering if there will be any Social Security left for them when the time comes…and if they wouldn’t be better off abandoning the government’s mandatory retirement plan.
So can you opt out? In a word, yes. Read more here:
http://dailyreckoning.com/opt-out-of-social-security/
"Never trust governments absolutely
and always do what you can to prevent
them from doing too much harm."
-- John Arthur Passmore
(1914-2004) Australian philosopher
This Week’s Hints, Freebies & Resources
Find coupons for online stores here plus other consumer tidbits
http://www.fatwallet.com/coupons-cash-back/
Buy a home - get a $100K Discount
http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/tips-on-buying-a-home-at-a-100-000-discount/
How to get a free car…in return for becoming a rolling advertisement. Some firms provide a car with advertising on it to people who do a lot of driving in heavily populated areas. Others use vinyl film that promotes a product. You might be asked to drive specific routes or park in specified areas to maximize exposure.
To find such a company, sign up with an information directory, such as Free Car Index at: www.freecarindex.com or www.thefreecar.com
Most have a small sign up fee of about $30 but they connect you only with legitimate sources.
Wanted: Writers and film makers. If this is your passion visit www.DemandStudios.com, which make use of freelancers to create content which they in turn sell to bigger web portals. Payments are based on either flat rate or revenue-sharing basis.
Visit Kelly Land’s site for advice and at-home legitimate job listings at:
www.MoneyMakingMom.com
Mothers’ Home Business Network is another useful site to learn about working from home. Go to: www.HomeWorkingMom.com
Stay on top of coupon scams which posts copies of recent fakes…
www.Cents-Off.com
Speaking of coupons, fill your cart and save at this site:
www.grocerycouponcenter.com
If you’re an AARP member-save at least 50% on restaurant gift certificates:
www.aarp.org/restaurantdiscounts
Though most of us have toned down holiday spending over the past few years, often opting for the practical over the glitzy…try this online resource to get cash back…
online stores participating with Ebates are well known retailers. For example, particpating retailers include Walmart, JC Penney, Staples, Nordstrom, Kohls, Orbitz, HP, Disney, and the list goes on. Ebates is about as easy a way to save money on everyday purchases as you'll find anywhere.
To date, Ebates members have already earned more than $55,000,000 and you can join them today for free! To get more information and to sign up for free, visit Ebates.
Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy
--Ayn Rand
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKINGS
================================
Switzerland is once again ranked number one on the Global Economic
Forum's latest international competitiveness rankings. Sweden, rising
to number two, is also joined by Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark
in the top 10, making the Nordic countries one of the most economically
competitive regions in the world.
The Global Competitiveness Report compares countries on the strength of
such measures as infrastructure, institutions, labor market efficiency,
education and training, technological readiness, and innovation, in
addition to a poll of more than 13,500 business leaders in 139
economies. The goal is to give policy leaders a picture of their
competitive strengths and weaknesses.
The United States fell two places from 2009 to 2010 (placing fourth
behind Singapore). According to the report, the downward slip in U.S.
competitiveness reflects concerns for the strength of U.S. public and
private institutions, as well as its financial markets.
SOURCE: Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011, World Economic Forum
http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20News%20Releases/NR_GCR10
Bottled Water Storage-Reader tip!
I live in one of the hurricane regions...Texas, near the Gulf.
Right now, I am finishing up my hurricane preps---something I do every year down here.
First and foremost: WATER.
I don't have the money to go out buy a crap load of bottled water, so I bottle my own.
I use 2 liter soda bottles. There is a never ending supply of those where I live now...got a bunch of 20 somethings in the apartments below me and across from me and they happily give me all their *empties*!
I scald out all the bottles and drop the caps into boiling water for one minute.
Although everyone tells me that city/municipal water supplies probably have enough chlorine in them to insure against molds/bacteria/fungus/etc., I still put a three drops of bleach in each bottle. Fill with tap water, cap tightly and store.
I use a *sharpie* marker and put the date on each bottle (I write it on the label).
I bottle water every 6 months...the bottles I am currently filling now will be *retired* in 6 months...I will dump all the water out, scald them again, let them dry completely, then fill with rice or beans to tuck into my food storage.
I aim for twenty 2 liter bottles per person here, thirty if I can squeeze a few more under beds and such.
I have a dog, so ten bottles for her are also stored.
It doesn't take a lot of time, effort or expense to do this---I can do a bunch at once or just a few per day.
Having water stored like this has come in handy on several occasions, especially during Hurricane Ike. Thanks Tim for forwarding this to us…you’ll get a PoorMan CD in the mail!
>>><<< Get ready for winter. Have a sturdy fire wood shed to supply your fireplace or woodstove.
Illustrated, step-by-step building instructions, by John Vivian, will let you customize and then build your own version of a classic 4'x8' New England Saltbox fire wood shed. With timber-frame construction and cedar shingle roof, this shed is designed for years and years of use.
And, you don't have to be a wood burner to use this design. Drive through New England and you'll see many little sheds, just like this one, used for a variety of purposes. They make great run-ins for small animals and shelters for bales of hay. With sales tables in front they are often used as farm stands. And, you'll also see them by the sides of roads keeping rain and snow off kids as they wait for their school bus.
Click here to see a photo and to get the the complete free building guide from Mother Earth News >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-motherearthnews-diy-woodshed-building-guide.html )
Click here to find more shed plans, kits, free plans and building guides >>>
( http://www.abettershed.com )
>>><<<< How to seal a bag and make it air-tight!
Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top.
Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top – to seal
The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw…thanks Carolyn for sending us this tip! You’ll get a copy of our most recent Poor Man III CD.
"Trust is a two way street. If your government does not trust you, how can you trust your government?"
-- Bruce Montague
Google – the Big Brother of the internet.
Google not only wants to know it all, it already – um – kind of does. As Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO so aptly puts it, “We know a lot about you. We know a lot about what you care about. We know where you are, and we know what you like.”
Great. Makes me feel safe. So how do we find out what Google knows – or wants to know?
A man by the name of Jamie Wilkinson got concerned enough about Google’s tracking practices that he developed an add-on for Firefox called Google Alarm. This nifty add-on alerts you by sight and sound every time your personal information is being sent back to Google’s servers. And if you don’t want a (pretty-obnoxious-as-far as-I’m-concerned) fog-horn alarm sounding off every time you visit a site that is being tracked (which was quite often, at least in my case), Google Alarm gives you the option to turn it off and only be notified visually. In addition, Google Alarm keeps running stats (by percentage) of websites your have visited that have Google bugs present and shows you those, too. I downloaded this add-on and it indeed does everything it says. Google Alarm is free.
Ghostery is a very impressive program (add-on). It tracks and shows you all of the companies currently tracking you and your browsing habits (and there are a lot of them). Not only that, it gives you the information on any company that has been tracking you and the offer to block the company from access your surfing habits, as well. It gives you a link to each company so that you can research the company and find out their practices and policy practices. It is a very simple program to use. Ghostery is free
To read more about Erick Schmidt and his predictions on the future of the internet, click here for the article from ReadWriteWeb.
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common, they
don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their
views, which can be uncomfortable, if you happen to be one of the facts that
needs altering."
-- Doctor Who
A little fun…
I like to slam eBay a lot and here’s a little parody about buying on eBay from Weird Al Yankovic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKtlK7sn0JQ&feature=related
Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker-for the serious prepper!
Gear Up -- Appropriate and Redundant Technologies for Prepared Families
I frequently stress the importance of well-balanced preparedness in my writings. All too often, I've seen people that go to extremes, to the point that these extremes actually detract from the ability to survive a disaster situation. These range from the "all the gear that I'll need to survive is in my backpack" mentality to the "a truckload of this or that" fixation. But genuine preparedness lies in comprehensive planning, strict budgeting, and moderation. Blowing your entire preparedness budget on just one category of gear is detrimental to your overall preparedness.
Another common mistake that I see among my consulting clients is an over-emphasis on either very old technologies or on the "latest and greatest" technologies. In the real world, preparedness necessitates having a bit of both. At the Rawles Ranch we have both 19th century technology (like hand-powered tools) and a few of the latest technologies like passive IR intrusion detection (Dakota Alerts), photovoltaics, and electronic night vision. My approach is to pick and choose the most appropriate technologies that I can maintain by myself, but to always have backups in the form of less exotic or earlier, albeit less-efficient technologies. For example, my main shortwave receiver is a Sony ICF-SW7600GR. But in the event of EMP, I also a have a pair of very inexpensive Kaito shortwaves and a trusty old Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio that uses vacuum tubes. Like my other spare electronics, these are all stored in a grounded galvanized steel can when not in use.
Here is my approach to preparedness gear, in a nutshell
* Redundancy, squared. I jokingly call my basement Jim's Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR)
* Buy durable gear. Think of it as investing for your children and grandchildren. And keep in mind that there'll be no more "quick trips to the hardware store" after TSHTF.
* Vigilantly watch Craigslist, Freecycle, classified ads, and eBay for gear at bargain prices.
* Strive for balanced preparedness that "covers all bases"--all scenarios.
* Flexibility and Adaptability (Examples: shop to match a 12 VDC standard for most small electronics, truly multi-purpose equipment, multi-ball hitches, NATO slave cable connectors for 24 VDC vehicles, Anderson Power Pole connectors for small electronics--again, 12 VDC)
* Retain the ability to revert to older, more labor-intensive technology.
* Fuel flexibility (For example: Flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), Tri-fuel generators, and biodiesel compatible vehicles)
* Purchase high-quality used (but not abused) gear, preferably when bargains can be found
* If in doubt, then buy mil-spec.
* If in doubt, then buy the larger size and the heavier thickness.
* If in doubt, then buy two. (Our motto: "Two is one and one is none.")
* Buy systematically, and only as your budget allows. (Avoid debt!)
* Invest your sweat equity. Not only will you save money, but you also will learn more valuable skills.
* Train with what you have, and learn from the experts. Tools without training are almost useless.
* Learn to maintain and repair your gear. (Always buy spare parts and full service manuals!)
* Buy guns in common calibers
* Buy with long service life in mind (such as low self-discharge NiMH rechargeable batteries.)
* Store extra for charity and barter
* Grow your own and buy the tooling to make your own--don't just store things.
* Rust is the enemy, and lubrication and spot painting are your allies.
* Avoid being an "early adopter" of new technology--or you'll pay more and get lower reliability.
* Select all of your gear with your local climate conditions in mind.
* Recognize that there are no "style" points in survival. Don't worry about appearances--concentrate on practicality and durability.
* As my old friend "Doug Carlton" is fond of saying: "Just cut to size, file to fit,, and paint to match."
* Don't skimp on tools. Buy quality tools (such as Snap-on and Craftsman brands), but buy them used, to save money.
* Skills beat gadgets and practicality beats style.
* Use group standardization for weapons and electronics. Strive for commonality of magazines, accessories and spare parts
* Gear up to raise livestock. It is an investment that breeds.
* Build your fences bull strong and sheep tight.
* Tools without the appropriate safety gear (like safety goggles, helmets, and chainsaw chaps) are just accidents waiting for a place to happen.
* Whenever you have the option, buy things in flat, earth tone colors
* Plan ahead for things breaking or wearing out.
* Always have a Plan B and a Plan C
If you are serious about preparedness, then I recommend that you take a similar approach.
http://www.awrm.org/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=27;t=000271;p=0
Obamacare-Breastfeeding the Nation
How do you feel about "We the People" and what little this seems to mean to most of our elected officials these days? This quote summarizes how many of us do feel…
"If we expected self-reliance of family groups, if we expected hardiness and
resilience and initiative on the part of individuals, and if we rewarded
initiative instead of dependence on government, we would not only ameliorate
many of the family-related social problems we see at present, but we would also
reduce our vulnerability to terrorism. People who are hardy, resilient, and
self reliant are a lot harder to terrorize."
-- Bernard H. Levin
FBI National Academy Associate
The problem, however, is too many are…
Two Paychecks Away from Homelessness
The Las Vegas Sun newspaper has done something most other papers don't bother with. They haven't just paid lip service to homelessness. They actually keep on printing stories about homeless people.
At the end of August, the paper printed an essay by a homeless man, Rodger Jacobs, who is a freelance writer:
I am a 51-year-old professional writer; throughout my 20-year career I have been an award-winning feature documentary producer (“Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes” and multiple educational documentaries), a trade and arts magazine journalist, a successful playwright (“Go Irish: The Purgatory Diaries of Jason Miller”), a true crime author and a literary event producer. For the past two years, I have enjoyed my role as a book and literature columnist for Pop Matters, a popular online journal of cultural criticism.
But in the larger scheme of things, my credentials are utterly meaningless. In less than two weeks, my girlfriend and I will be without a home in a town where we have no friends, no family, and apparently no safety net to catch us when we fall.
An interesting read, get the rest of the story:
http://www.workingamerica.org/blog/2010/09/30/two-paychecks-away-from-homelessness/
Parting thoughts…
This week started the first weekend of a local indoor flea market and none too quickly as it seems someone literally turned the switch off on summer - it’s a cold autumn! I’ve always enjoyed flea markets, the final vestige of true free enterprise and capitalism in its most basic form.
The Phoenix area used to have some of the best swap meets in the country but they went the way of Mexico or urban expansion and essentially no longer exist. Indeed, Phoenix is no longer a quaint town. It’s become a suburb of Los Angeles and Scottsdale, which once boasted to be the ‘west’s most western city,’ has become a suburb or Beverly Hills, complete with drive-thru plastic surgery centers! Most folks there no longer even know what a horse is!
While visiting the weekend flea market, I ran across entrepreneur, Courtney Garner, who makes his own salsa, something I would expect to see more in the Phoenix area than MI! The salsa is darn good and comes in several varieties.
The products are sold direct and as a ‘healthy fundraiser’ and they have a website you can view at: http://www.josesalsa.com
And finally…
Gold's role as an inflation barometer, or even as a hedge against inflation, is its least important role right now.
In fact, that's way down on the list, because what gold is really telling you is that ...
Our current form of government is broken. Period.
It's corrupt (it either missed, ignored, or perhaps even turned a blind eye to the Madoff Ponzi scheme and the real estate bubble, just two examples) ...
It's inefficient (it can't pay its bills without robbing from Peter to pay Paul, or by printing more fiat money) ...indeed, expect to pay more for things like coffee, sugar, clothing & other commodities in the coming months.
After the Arab Oil embargo in the 70s, Pres. Carter promised the American people we would get off our foreign oil addiction…
The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. They had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure
The feds have FAILED in every "government service" shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars….perhaps they need a lesson on how to run things from WalMart, the largest enterprise on the planet and one of the most successful (regardless of how you feel about them, Americans spend $36 million there EVERY SECOND - so someone must like them)! Will Rogers got it right when he stated…
"Things in our country run in spite of the government, not by the aid of it."
-- Will Rogers
Yours for better living - the Poor Man!
The next issue might be a tad later than usual…our little log cabin might just up and running & we’ll have some photos posted on our site AND a funny story as to our how we managed to nearly double the size of living space on the property for less than $3000!
Give a holiday gift or birthday present that won’t set you back a dime-a free subscription to our weekly newsletter…your friends will thank you for it - forward this today!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman
http://www.OldBookNook.com
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
A Shallow Planet Production
Your choice for urban survival resources
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
In this issue:
1. Opting out of Social Security
2. Bottled water on the cheap for emergencies
3. Rising gold prices mean rising commodity prices ahead
4. How to get a free car
5. Buy a home-get a $100K discount
6. Mothers Home Business Network Resource
7. Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker, More useful stuff!
Go green - recycle Congress in 2010!
Government Spending Gone Wild!
For a couple of years now I’ve been trying to interest some TV producer in my game show The Middle Class Squeeze, without luck…now, I figure, I’ll try another show which I plan to call - government spending gone wild, a natural for the Fox Network!
With gold on a record-setting streak, and the battered ol' greenback plumbing new, multi-year lows, the debate over the "Battle of the 'flations" has returned with a vengeance.
We all know the government's CPI numbers are a junk stat...at best. For those of us living with the cost of food and energy, which the CPI reading conveniently excuses, the eroding purchasing power of the once- mighty US dollar is becoming an increasingly painful concern.
"Monetary warfare!" says The Financial Times. In North America, the US is pointing its heavy guns at China... the US Congress has proposed a bill naming China as a 'currency manipulator.' How, exactly, is China manipulating the renminbi? It is holding steadfast to the dollar! This, says US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, "translates into a significant subsidy, artificially making US products more expensive, and jeopardizing efforts to create and preserve manufacturing jobs in America."
Who would have figured?
You may have seen this on the news but I don’t recall seeing much play on network news (what a surprise)…but our Social Security system now takes in less than it pays out…after years of its funds being raided by Congress…
“The Social Security Trust Fund is misnamed. It cannot be trusted, and it is not funded.”
–Former US Comptroller General David Walker, July 2010.
It’s official, Social Security is essentially broke - How You can Opt out of Social Security
If David Walker – who was essentially the US government’s accountant from 1998-2008 – can make jokes like that about Social Security, we’re in trouble. Indeed, as we noted in our essay “The End of Social Security as We Know It”, the Social Security Trust recently began paying out more than it is taking in. Over the next 75 years, the Fund will require an additional $5.4 trillion to pay for scheduled benefits.
Given the deplorable fiscal condition of the Social Security Trust Fund, some forward-looking Americans are asking, “Why can’t I just opt out?” Even middle-aged members of the Baby Boom generation are wondering if there will be any Social Security left for them when the time comes…and if they wouldn’t be better off abandoning the government’s mandatory retirement plan.
So can you opt out? In a word, yes. Read more here:
http://dailyreckoning.com/opt-out-of-social-security/
"Never trust governments absolutely
and always do what you can to prevent
them from doing too much harm."
-- John Arthur Passmore
(1914-2004) Australian philosopher
This Week’s Hints, Freebies & Resources
Find coupons for online stores here plus other consumer tidbits
http://www.fatwallet.com/coupons-cash-back/
Buy a home - get a $100K Discount
http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/tips-on-buying-a-home-at-a-100-000-discount/
How to get a free car…in return for becoming a rolling advertisement. Some firms provide a car with advertising on it to people who do a lot of driving in heavily populated areas. Others use vinyl film that promotes a product. You might be asked to drive specific routes or park in specified areas to maximize exposure.
To find such a company, sign up with an information directory, such as Free Car Index at: www.freecarindex.com or www.thefreecar.com
Most have a small sign up fee of about $30 but they connect you only with legitimate sources.
Wanted: Writers and film makers. If this is your passion visit www.DemandStudios.com, which make use of freelancers to create content which they in turn sell to bigger web portals. Payments are based on either flat rate or revenue-sharing basis.
Visit Kelly Land’s site for advice and at-home legitimate job listings at:
www.MoneyMakingMom.com
Mothers’ Home Business Network is another useful site to learn about working from home. Go to: www.HomeWorkingMom.com
Stay on top of coupon scams which posts copies of recent fakes…
www.Cents-Off.com
Speaking of coupons, fill your cart and save at this site:
www.grocerycouponcenter.com
If you’re an AARP member-save at least 50% on restaurant gift certificates:
www.aarp.org/restaurantdiscounts
Though most of us have toned down holiday spending over the past few years, often opting for the practical over the glitzy…try this online resource to get cash back…
online stores participating with Ebates are well known retailers. For example, particpating retailers include Walmart, JC Penney, Staples, Nordstrom, Kohls, Orbitz, HP, Disney, and the list goes on. Ebates is about as easy a way to save money on everyday purchases as you'll find anywhere.
To date, Ebates members have already earned more than $55,000,000 and you can join them today for free! To get more information and to sign up for free, visit Ebates.
Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy
--Ayn Rand
GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS RANKINGS
================================
Switzerland is once again ranked number one on the Global Economic
Forum's latest international competitiveness rankings. Sweden, rising
to number two, is also joined by Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark
in the top 10, making the Nordic countries one of the most economically
competitive regions in the world.
The Global Competitiveness Report compares countries on the strength of
such measures as infrastructure, institutions, labor market efficiency,
education and training, technological readiness, and innovation, in
addition to a poll of more than 13,500 business leaders in 139
economies. The goal is to give policy leaders a picture of their
competitive strengths and weaknesses.
The United States fell two places from 2009 to 2010 (placing fourth
behind Singapore). According to the report, the downward slip in U.S.
competitiveness reflects concerns for the strength of U.S. public and
private institutions, as well as its financial markets.
SOURCE: Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011, World Economic Forum
http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20News%20Releases/NR_GCR10
Bottled Water Storage-Reader tip!
I live in one of the hurricane regions...Texas, near the Gulf.
Right now, I am finishing up my hurricane preps---something I do every year down here.
First and foremost: WATER.
I don't have the money to go out buy a crap load of bottled water, so I bottle my own.
I use 2 liter soda bottles. There is a never ending supply of those where I live now...got a bunch of 20 somethings in the apartments below me and across from me and they happily give me all their *empties*!
I scald out all the bottles and drop the caps into boiling water for one minute.
Although everyone tells me that city/municipal water supplies probably have enough chlorine in them to insure against molds/bacteria/fungus/etc., I still put a three drops of bleach in each bottle. Fill with tap water, cap tightly and store.
I use a *sharpie* marker and put the date on each bottle (I write it on the label).
I bottle water every 6 months...the bottles I am currently filling now will be *retired* in 6 months...I will dump all the water out, scald them again, let them dry completely, then fill with rice or beans to tuck into my food storage.
I aim for twenty 2 liter bottles per person here, thirty if I can squeeze a few more under beds and such.
I have a dog, so ten bottles for her are also stored.
It doesn't take a lot of time, effort or expense to do this---I can do a bunch at once or just a few per day.
Having water stored like this has come in handy on several occasions, especially during Hurricane Ike. Thanks Tim for forwarding this to us…you’ll get a PoorMan CD in the mail!
>>><<< Get ready for winter. Have a sturdy fire wood shed to supply your fireplace or woodstove.
Illustrated, step-by-step building instructions, by John Vivian, will let you customize and then build your own version of a classic 4'x8' New England Saltbox fire wood shed. With timber-frame construction and cedar shingle roof, this shed is designed for years and years of use.
And, you don't have to be a wood burner to use this design. Drive through New England and you'll see many little sheds, just like this one, used for a variety of purposes. They make great run-ins for small animals and shelters for bales of hay. With sales tables in front they are often used as farm stands. And, you'll also see them by the sides of roads keeping rain and snow off kids as they wait for their school bus.
Click here to see a photo and to get the the complete free building guide from Mother Earth News >>>
( http://www.todaysplans.net/use-motherearthnews-diy-woodshed-building-guide.html )
Click here to find more shed plans, kits, free plans and building guides >>>
( http://www.abettershed.com )
>>><<<< How to seal a bag and make it air-tight!
Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top.
Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top – to seal
The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw…thanks Carolyn for sending us this tip! You’ll get a copy of our most recent Poor Man III CD.
"Trust is a two way street. If your government does not trust you, how can you trust your government?"
-- Bruce Montague
Google – the Big Brother of the internet.
Google not only wants to know it all, it already – um – kind of does. As Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO so aptly puts it, “We know a lot about you. We know a lot about what you care about. We know where you are, and we know what you like.”
Great. Makes me feel safe. So how do we find out what Google knows – or wants to know?
A man by the name of Jamie Wilkinson got concerned enough about Google’s tracking practices that he developed an add-on for Firefox called Google Alarm. This nifty add-on alerts you by sight and sound every time your personal information is being sent back to Google’s servers. And if you don’t want a (pretty-obnoxious-as-far as-I’m-concerned) fog-horn alarm sounding off every time you visit a site that is being tracked (which was quite often, at least in my case), Google Alarm gives you the option to turn it off and only be notified visually. In addition, Google Alarm keeps running stats (by percentage) of websites your have visited that have Google bugs present and shows you those, too. I downloaded this add-on and it indeed does everything it says. Google Alarm is free.
Ghostery is a very impressive program (add-on). It tracks and shows you all of the companies currently tracking you and your browsing habits (and there are a lot of them). Not only that, it gives you the information on any company that has been tracking you and the offer to block the company from access your surfing habits, as well. It gives you a link to each company so that you can research the company and find out their practices and policy practices. It is a very simple program to use. Ghostery is free
To read more about Erick Schmidt and his predictions on the future of the internet, click here for the article from ReadWriteWeb.
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common, they
don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their
views, which can be uncomfortable, if you happen to be one of the facts that
needs altering."
-- Doctor Who
A little fun…
I like to slam eBay a lot and here’s a little parody about buying on eBay from Weird Al Yankovic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKtlK7sn0JQ&feature=related
Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker-for the serious prepper!
Gear Up -- Appropriate and Redundant Technologies for Prepared Families
I frequently stress the importance of well-balanced preparedness in my writings. All too often, I've seen people that go to extremes, to the point that these extremes actually detract from the ability to survive a disaster situation. These range from the "all the gear that I'll need to survive is in my backpack" mentality to the "a truckload of this or that" fixation. But genuine preparedness lies in comprehensive planning, strict budgeting, and moderation. Blowing your entire preparedness budget on just one category of gear is detrimental to your overall preparedness.
Another common mistake that I see among my consulting clients is an over-emphasis on either very old technologies or on the "latest and greatest" technologies. In the real world, preparedness necessitates having a bit of both. At the Rawles Ranch we have both 19th century technology (like hand-powered tools) and a few of the latest technologies like passive IR intrusion detection (Dakota Alerts), photovoltaics, and electronic night vision. My approach is to pick and choose the most appropriate technologies that I can maintain by myself, but to always have backups in the form of less exotic or earlier, albeit less-efficient technologies. For example, my main shortwave receiver is a Sony ICF-SW7600GR. But in the event of EMP, I also a have a pair of very inexpensive Kaito shortwaves and a trusty old Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio that uses vacuum tubes. Like my other spare electronics, these are all stored in a grounded galvanized steel can when not in use.
Here is my approach to preparedness gear, in a nutshell
* Redundancy, squared. I jokingly call my basement Jim's Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR)
* Buy durable gear. Think of it as investing for your children and grandchildren. And keep in mind that there'll be no more "quick trips to the hardware store" after TSHTF.
* Vigilantly watch Craigslist, Freecycle, classified ads, and eBay for gear at bargain prices.
* Strive for balanced preparedness that "covers all bases"--all scenarios.
* Flexibility and Adaptability (Examples: shop to match a 12 VDC standard for most small electronics, truly multi-purpose equipment, multi-ball hitches, NATO slave cable connectors for 24 VDC vehicles, Anderson Power Pole connectors for small electronics--again, 12 VDC)
* Retain the ability to revert to older, more labor-intensive technology.
* Fuel flexibility (For example: Flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), Tri-fuel generators, and biodiesel compatible vehicles)
* Purchase high-quality used (but not abused) gear, preferably when bargains can be found
* If in doubt, then buy mil-spec.
* If in doubt, then buy the larger size and the heavier thickness.
* If in doubt, then buy two. (Our motto: "Two is one and one is none.")
* Buy systematically, and only as your budget allows. (Avoid debt!)
* Invest your sweat equity. Not only will you save money, but you also will learn more valuable skills.
* Train with what you have, and learn from the experts. Tools without training are almost useless.
* Learn to maintain and repair your gear. (Always buy spare parts and full service manuals!)
* Buy guns in common calibers
* Buy with long service life in mind (such as low self-discharge NiMH rechargeable batteries.)
* Store extra for charity and barter
* Grow your own and buy the tooling to make your own--don't just store things.
* Rust is the enemy, and lubrication and spot painting are your allies.
* Avoid being an "early adopter" of new technology--or you'll pay more and get lower reliability.
* Select all of your gear with your local climate conditions in mind.
* Recognize that there are no "style" points in survival. Don't worry about appearances--concentrate on practicality and durability.
* As my old friend "Doug Carlton" is fond of saying: "Just cut to size, file to fit,, and paint to match."
* Don't skimp on tools. Buy quality tools (such as Snap-on and Craftsman brands), but buy them used, to save money.
* Skills beat gadgets and practicality beats style.
* Use group standardization for weapons and electronics. Strive for commonality of magazines, accessories and spare parts
* Gear up to raise livestock. It is an investment that breeds.
* Build your fences bull strong and sheep tight.
* Tools without the appropriate safety gear (like safety goggles, helmets, and chainsaw chaps) are just accidents waiting for a place to happen.
* Whenever you have the option, buy things in flat, earth tone colors
* Plan ahead for things breaking or wearing out.
* Always have a Plan B and a Plan C
If you are serious about preparedness, then I recommend that you take a similar approach.
http://www.awrm.org/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=27;t=000271;p=0
Obamacare-Breastfeeding the Nation
How do you feel about "We the People" and what little this seems to mean to most of our elected officials these days? This quote summarizes how many of us do feel…
"If we expected self-reliance of family groups, if we expected hardiness and
resilience and initiative on the part of individuals, and if we rewarded
initiative instead of dependence on government, we would not only ameliorate
many of the family-related social problems we see at present, but we would also
reduce our vulnerability to terrorism. People who are hardy, resilient, and
self reliant are a lot harder to terrorize."
-- Bernard H. Levin
FBI National Academy Associate
The problem, however, is too many are…
Two Paychecks Away from Homelessness
The Las Vegas Sun newspaper has done something most other papers don't bother with. They haven't just paid lip service to homelessness. They actually keep on printing stories about homeless people.
At the end of August, the paper printed an essay by a homeless man, Rodger Jacobs, who is a freelance writer:
I am a 51-year-old professional writer; throughout my 20-year career I have been an award-winning feature documentary producer (“Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes” and multiple educational documentaries), a trade and arts magazine journalist, a successful playwright (“Go Irish: The Purgatory Diaries of Jason Miller”), a true crime author and a literary event producer. For the past two years, I have enjoyed my role as a book and literature columnist for Pop Matters, a popular online journal of cultural criticism.
But in the larger scheme of things, my credentials are utterly meaningless. In less than two weeks, my girlfriend and I will be without a home in a town where we have no friends, no family, and apparently no safety net to catch us when we fall.
An interesting read, get the rest of the story:
http://www.workingamerica.org/blog/2010/09/30/two-paychecks-away-from-homelessness/
Parting thoughts…
This week started the first weekend of a local indoor flea market and none too quickly as it seems someone literally turned the switch off on summer - it’s a cold autumn! I’ve always enjoyed flea markets, the final vestige of true free enterprise and capitalism in its most basic form.
The Phoenix area used to have some of the best swap meets in the country but they went the way of Mexico or urban expansion and essentially no longer exist. Indeed, Phoenix is no longer a quaint town. It’s become a suburb of Los Angeles and Scottsdale, which once boasted to be the ‘west’s most western city,’ has become a suburb or Beverly Hills, complete with drive-thru plastic surgery centers! Most folks there no longer even know what a horse is!
While visiting the weekend flea market, I ran across entrepreneur, Courtney Garner, who makes his own salsa, something I would expect to see more in the Phoenix area than MI! The salsa is darn good and comes in several varieties.
The products are sold direct and as a ‘healthy fundraiser’ and they have a website you can view at: http://www.josesalsa.com
And finally…
Gold's role as an inflation barometer, or even as a hedge against inflation, is its least important role right now.
In fact, that's way down on the list, because what gold is really telling you is that ...
Our current form of government is broken. Period.
It's corrupt (it either missed, ignored, or perhaps even turned a blind eye to the Madoff Ponzi scheme and the real estate bubble, just two examples) ...
It's inefficient (it can't pay its bills without robbing from Peter to pay Paul, or by printing more fiat money) ...indeed, expect to pay more for things like coffee, sugar, clothing & other commodities in the coming months.
After the Arab Oil embargo in the 70s, Pres. Carter promised the American people we would get off our foreign oil addiction…
The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. They had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure
The feds have FAILED in every "government service" shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars….perhaps they need a lesson on how to run things from WalMart, the largest enterprise on the planet and one of the most successful (regardless of how you feel about them, Americans spend $36 million there EVERY SECOND - so someone must like them)! Will Rogers got it right when he stated…
"Things in our country run in spite of the government, not by the aid of it."
-- Will Rogers
Yours for better living - the Poor Man!
The next issue might be a tad later than usual…our little log cabin might just up and running & we’ll have some photos posted on our site AND a funny story as to our how we managed to nearly double the size of living space on the property for less than $3000!
Give a holiday gift or birthday present that won’t set you back a dime-a free subscription to our weekly newsletter…your friends will thank you for it - forward this today!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/Poorman
http://www.OldBookNook.com
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
A Shallow Planet Production
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Something to Worry Everyone; 9 Things You Need to Know Now!
Bruce's Poor Man Survival Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources!
Http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
Inside this issue:
1. What will November elections bring?
2. Nine things you should be doing right now
3. The Armchair Survivalist Speaks
4. Home made radiator charger-easy!
5. Start a hand-me-down club
6. More broken promises from eBay
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." (Ronald Reagan)
What will the November elections bring?
Two main scenarios loom with the November elections...more of the same government swill in terms of bailouts and deficits or perhaps enough Americans will show they are fed up with garbage as usual and they'll remove career politicians who don't know how to zipper the federal wallet.
For thirty years the feds have been trashing freedoms of Americans, ignoring the Constitution and have been spending us into financial Armageddon...they need to pay a price for this anti-citizen behavior.
Given that our government is already insolvent and that ever since the Federal Reserve ripoff was put into place in 1913 (along with the shakedown called income tax) our dollar has lost 95-1/c cents of its value...I'm unsure how it will continue plodding along as if everything is just fine in Mayberry, especially knowing that roughly 25% of our total foreign debt will come due in the next 12 months!
All of the known government held reserves, including oil, gold, cash on hand and foreign reserves only total $511 billion...but we owe $1 trillion by the end of the year just to foreign creditors!
The $13 Trillion National Debt is only a down payment on our actual debts when we factor in liabilities from Medicare, Social Security, and the money that will be required to continued funding for our wars and for Fannie and Freddie. As of March 26th of this year, the Congressional Budget Office announced that our projected deficit total for the next 10 years will grow to at least $9.75 trillion. If you add up all of the unfunded liabilities the real number is $109 trillion...foreign creditors are already jumping ship and investors are fleeing the US for greener pastures elsewhere.
In July '09 at the G8 Summit, Russian President Medvedev showed off a new coin minted with the words “Unity in Diversity,” a prototype of a future world currency. China, our biggest lender, has quietly been opening currency swap lines with other countries in order to bypass American currency in order to do business.
What happens when our creditors abandon the dollar?
Alan Greenspan and Pablo Cuidotti came up with this theory about the collapse of any economy (keep in mind, NEVER in the history of the world has a country outlasted its fiat currency): To avoid a default, a nation has to maintain hard currency reserves equal to at least 10% of its short term debt.
As I showed earlier, this rule will be used by our creditors to cut off our credit.
For the first time in history, we have a global monetary base that's not anchored to any real asset!
In this country I always said our money was based on the faith of its people in the government since nothing of value backs it, or as my friend Mike says “IOU Nothing.”
It's predicted 700 US banks will likely close within the next 18 months (see last issue for a list of such banks on the endangered list...much of this fueled by bad commercial real estate paper...something I've told our readers about beginning 16 months ago or so).
If major investors such as George Soros and others are buying more gold than ever before, you know we're in trouble. If the system collapses, as it did not long ago in Argentina, watch for common services you now take for granted to vanish. Your credit & debit cards won't work, no gasoline, empty store shelves, government workers won't be paid on time.
People were selling their family heirlooms for 10 cents on the dollar. When their banks reopened, 75% of everyone's savings was gone – stolen by the government (recall in previous issues that I've been warning readers that Obama is figuring out a means to tap your retirement accounts...it will happen). In essence, the middle class in Argentina was wiped out.
Can it happen here? Well, let's just see how the elections come along...my guess – the US has 18 months tops before it officially goes bankrupt. But alas, most Americans are oblivious to the crisis and I must admit, I need to get the last of my cash out of my retirement IRA!
NOTE: Compiled and edited from various sources, newsletters, etc. which the Poor Man subscribes to
"Government," as Frédéric Bastiat, expressed it, "is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
Weekly Resource
s & Tips
Skip 'prime' cuts of beef & other supermarket savers
Go for choice cuts instead of prime to save money. You may have to use a crock pot or marinades to make the meat tender, but you'll save dough and be sure to look for meat markdowns in the morning as that's when they're placed for sale before the 'sell by' date.
For bargains on pantry staples look at the top and bottom shelves. Stock up during sales and opt for house brands.
Home Made Radiator Supercharger
If your home uses radiators for heat, take a piece of cardboard from a box you were going to pitch and cut it to the size of your radiator, cover one side with aluminum foil (shiny side out), then place it between the wall and your unit creating your own reflective insulation for free. Save some $$$
Looking for a lost love?
Sure, you can Google people but getting additional info can be gotten from this free site which has three times as many listings as Pipl.com or White Pages.com
www.ZabaSearch.com
Hand me down club
The Poor Man has featured many kinds of co-ops including food, babysitting and services but here's another suggestion from reader Barb...avoid childrens' clothing stores since kids grow so fast, clothes are quickly outgrown. Instead of buying new clothes all the time, organize a club of parents from your church or daycare or the school to exchange clothing twice a year – fall and spring. Try to arrange it so each family brings clothing in good condition and from a variety of ages. NOTE: Though the Poor Man no longer has small children, this is a good idea & we're sending you a new DVD of the Disaster Preparedness series which also features terrific activities for preparing your children for natural disasters and 46 other projects (also available from our OldBookNook.com – eBay storefront).
I suppose this concept could be applied to many areas of life.
TO DO NOTHING IS TO RISK EVERYTHING.
Winterizing Tips for Your Auto-Free Checklist
It's been many years since I've had to think about winterizing something...but a bit of prevention will go a long way in avoiding trouble not only for your home but for your auto as well. Indeed, the Poor Man finally resolved an issue he's wondered about for years...synthetic oil – YES, it is better to change over to this once your vehicle hits 100,000 miles. May cost a bit more, but you won't need to change oil as frequently and it does a better job of reducing friction in your engine.
Of course, a winterizing checklist for your car should include:
--battery, belts, tires, all fluids, exhaust system, batter terminals & cables, hoses, plugs, change to winter blades, air filters, etc..complete printable list you can use at:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/affordabletransportation/tp/High-Mileage-Vehicle-Maintenance-Checklist.htm?nl=1
How to Solve Problems & Prevent Problems-Free ebook (interesting group)
http://www.alphapub.com/howtosolve.html
The Super-Saver's Guide to Grocery Shopping at Dollar Stores
...a few errors in this Rachel Ray piece, but a good one overall
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/the-super-savers-guide-to-grocery-shopping-at-dollar-stores-2394411/
How to Know where you're calling from...
If you ever find yourself in an unfamiliar place and need to use an unmarked phone, call the ANAC (automatic circuit number that phone repairmen use)-when you dial the number from a land line, it reads back the number from which you called. You can Google local ANAC numbers but here are a couple of common ones to use: 800-444-4444 or 444-3333...good to use if you find yourself in danger in unknown territory.
Stop eavesdroppers...you know something is fishy when a phone repair guy shows up even though no one has contacted him...if there is interference on your home phone, home radio or car radio...strange sound comes from your phone like static and squealing or if sound continues after you hang up...most likely means you're being bugged. Note: sophisticated methods also include picking up phone conversations from ¼ mile away with eavesdropping dishes or scanners...used by law breakers and law enforcement. Fun way to screw with them is to give the mouthpiece a blast from an airhorn.
Instant 'Mace' to protect your homestead...
I know some do not like to use guns and some states have stupid laws preventing people from owning tools such as mace or tear gas to defend themselves with...keep cans of Raid hornet & wasp killer handy at each door. A solid blast to the face and eyes will achieve nearly the same effect allowing you to slam the door shut, bolt it and grab your pistol. (from our Poor Man Homestead Defense CD).
"To the extent that these [New Deal policies] developed,
they were tortured interpretations of a document
[the Constitution] intended to prevent them."
-- Rexford Tugwell
(1891-1979) American agricultural economist
The Armchair Survivalist
I’ve lived through floods, fires, riots, earthquakes, hurricanes and massive snow storms. I’ve seen two types of people in each calamity.
There are those spent their time insulting those of us that prepared – calling us “kooks”, “right-wing conspirators”, “fear mongers”, and other degrading epitaths.
These are the type people we’ve all watched on TV after Katrina whining “who’s gonna feed me???”
Then there’s the other type:
Me. and you’ll never see me, or others like me, begging for food, clothes or protection from the worthless government after a disaster.
But you will see people like me, helping the idiots amongst you that were too stupid to even THINK AHEAD!
But it could never happen to you…….
http://www.armchairsurvivalist.com
Crock Pot Beef
1 (3-4 lb) pot roast or 2 pint-sized jars home-canned beef
1 (11 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (11 oz) can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 (11 oz) can French onion soup
Mix soups together.
Place roast in crock pot. Cover with soups.
Cook on low for 8-9 hours or just heat through if using home-canned beef
“Made this for dinner the other night with two pint-sized jars home-canned beef. Just add the beef and broth from the jar and shred the meat. Stir in the soups and heat through. Bet this would work nicely with a deer roast too. I thought it was pretty good for a really easy meal. We served it over egg noodles since that’s what I had. Would be really yummy over mashed potatoes. I think a hot beef sandwich would be good too. Consider adding a bit of red wine and rosemary or parsley. Would be delicious with mushrooms or peppers too. Completely change it up and add dehydrated potatoes, carrots, celery and make it a stew."
Nothing worse than a dull knife-here are some DIY ways to sharpen-The Poor Man just bought a bench grinder & it works well for me for quick sharpening of axes, etc.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Knife-Sharpening-Tricks/
http://video.about.com/culinaryarts/Sharpen-Knives-With-a-Whetston.htm
AuctionBytes Publishes Guide to Forthcoming eBay Changes
eBay company management break their promise to their customers.
AuctionBytes published a cheat sheet in the September 26th issue
of AuctionBytes Update to help sellers navigate changes eBay is
making next month. The guide includes a roundup of policy changes
along with answers to some frequently asked questions sellers had
about the announcements.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m09/i27/s02
Amazon recently sent an email to thousands of their associates (affiliates) inviting them to sell on Amazon for the holidays. If you are an eBay seller, you might want to consider that as Amazon continues to surpass eBay as a sales platform and it is really easy to sell on Amazon.
Everyone is holding his or her breath to see how the holiday season works out this year. Although unemployment is still high and shows no signs of getting better, about 85% of Americans still have a job and those folks have been saving instead of spending. In fact the savings rate in the United States is at a 30-year high. Usually when Americans have money it tends to burn a hole in their pockets –but that isn’t happening. Retail sales last month came in at an anemic 0.4% growth –and only 3.5% higher than the same month last year. But August of last year was in the depths of the recession –so that isn’t saying much.
As a seller this is not the time to have all your eggs in one basket. Let’s face it: eBay’s strategy to reposition the platform as a fixed price marketplace hasn’t worked too well. Personally when I am looking for a new product at a fixed price I almost always go to Amazon first. And so do most other people. Amazon continues to grow while eBay is still stagnant.
Does that mean you should leave eBay altogether? No! There are still billions of dollars worth of goods sold on eBay every year and you want a piece of that –but why sell only on eBay, when Amazon is just as easy. This way you get the best of both.
Bragging rights for a knife...
I just purchased a great Herter (Murphy) knife from an eBay seller who provided precisely what he advertised, delivered quick and I wanted to share it with our readers. Check out Mike's Elliptical Knife site at:
http://ellipticalknives.com
The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague.
Bill Cosby.
The Nine Things You Should Be
Doing NOW and Everyday
by Henry Daniels
http://www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com
“Must Do” #1: Stay Alert and in the Know.
New economic realities confront us on a daily basis. Our discussion has centered on a groundbreaking documentary, “The Fall of America and the Western World” which let us in on the thoughts, principles and policies of right wing, left wing, centrist and independent economic and political thinkers.
Each week we’ve offered practical advice on things you can do to prepare for further economic deterioration and ultimately, your survival. This marks the last of our articles — we thought it would be advantageous to summarize our previous tips on what you should be doing starting right now and going forward to best position yourself to keep your head above water…
TIP ONE: Get Real. You must realize you are being lied to by the media, the politicians and the experts. If you don’t accept this reality, then you will not be serious in your efforts to change your situation.
TIP TWO: Be Prepared. Figure out what you’ll need to survive and examine what you have. This will tell you what you don’t have. Start a plan so you can get what you need, but don’t yet have.
TIP THREE: Become Self-Sufficient. The more dependent you are on others, the less likely your chances of survival. Start with the basics: food and water. Do you have a plan for feeding yourself if the food supply chain breaks down, supermarkets go out of business and your cupboards are bare?
TIP FOUR: Be Secure. As things get worse, those that have will become targets of those who have not. Is your home secure? Are you hiding your “wealth” and looking poor? Are your assets easy to get to but securely protected?
TIP FIVE: Get Off the Grid. As resources dwindle a steady, reliable source of power will become a necessity. Solar, wind and hydropower are all within the reach of the individual, depending on your location. Transportation needs also must be considered, especially if you are reliant on public transit. Do you have a bicycle?
TIP SIX: Get Out of the Dollar. You will need an emergency fund. Dollars are not the currency you want this fund in. Think precious metals and buying a safe to store them in as your bank may not be around much longer.
TIP SEVEN: Think Individually, Act Privately. Be brutally honest about your skills. If your skill set will enable you to do things that others are going to need, you’ve just improved your odds of survival.
TIP EIGHT: Educate Yourself and Your Family. Go old school. Read books. Don’t satisfy yourself reading just those who mimic your beliefs; read about alternative viewpoints, too. The more you know, the more you grow. The wise man learns something new every day. When was the last time you learned something new?
TIP NINE: Investigate the Opportunities. Every situation has opportunities, even our current economic climate. Keep your outlook positive, surround yourself with upbeat people and keep your eyes open for opportunities to present themselves. They will. Just make sure that you seize them when they do.
America Loves Crap...Parting bittersweet thoughts!
Am I the only one who realizes what’s happening globally…how America is losing its stature, how China is coming into a dominate role with Russia coming in as number two? Hell, the US won’t compete any longer in space as NASA retires its space fleet soon with nothing to replace it…you can bet this is not the case in China or Russia. China in particular, is investing in every sort of technology and hedging its natural resources bets though investment throughout Asia and Africa.
The US still maintains a dominant military role, but that won’t last much longer.
What kills me is how stupid most Americans have become in terms of world affairs. The flatworms who run the network news have helped to dummy down America through its infotainment empire, no hard news, no documentaries, just crap. Dateline and shows of that ilk have become murder nonsense of the week. There is no journalism because Americans are more concerned with American Idol malarky than world affairs.
It breaks my heart to witness how our country is taking a back seat to just about everything meaningful and becoming a second class debtor nation...it's especially painful to see how few of the younger generation seem to care. So long as they have their cell phone, it doesn't seem to bother them.
The Washington-Wall Street Cartel has been torching the Bill of Right and the Constitution for 30 years while Wall Street has destroyed the middle class...hey, who needs a job in the USA, everyone can just become a burger flipper or work for the government! Most recently, the FBI staged raids against peace activists (guns drawn of course). I thought this type of government folly had gone the way of Viet Nam antiwar protestors but apparently it's not. Video at: http://www.utne.com/Politics/FBI-Raids-Unite-Left-Right-in-Reaction.aspx?utm_content=09.29.10+Spirituality&utm_campaign=Emerging+Ideas-Every+Day&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email
“The income gap between the richest and poorest Americans grew last year to its widest amount on record as young adults and children in particular struggled to stay afloat in the recession.” (USA Today)
Yeah, I know, there are always a few bright spots but they are getting harder to find.
Here are Signs the U.S. Is Losing Its Influence In Its Own Backyard:
Our most powerful regional ally--Brazil--refuses to follow our orders on Iran
Hillary Clinton went to Brazil to beg support for sanctions against Iran and came away empty handed. Now the UN is counting on Brazil, which is friendly with America and Iran, to lead nuclear diplomacy.
The World's Richest Man is now a Mexican, not an American.
For the first time in 16 years, the World's Richest Man is not an American. Carlos Slim, worth $54 billion, is the first Latin American to hold that title and one of many emerging market billionaires to eclipse the U.S.
Three years after a US financial crisis, Latin America is again growing rapidly. The U.S.? Not so much...read more at:
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/10-signs-the-us-is-losing-its-influence-in-the-western-hemisphere-535456.html?tickers=eem,ewz,fxi,eeb,jjm,^dji,xle
The end of the USA, just like the end of Rome won't come all at once...the plug won't mysteriously be pulled in the middle of the night. Short of a nuclear attack, it most likely will be a gradual thing. As we see our rights gradually erode, our incomes slide, further declines in government services, etc.
That's all for this week from your lamentable latitudinarian – the Poor Man!
Send us your suggestions and news poormansurvivor@yahoo.com
http://www.PoorManSurvivor.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
http://www.OldbookNook.com
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Your choice for urban survival resources!
Http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
Inside this issue:
1. What will November elections bring?
2. Nine things you should be doing right now
3. The Armchair Survivalist Speaks
4. Home made radiator charger-easy!
5. Start a hand-me-down club
6. More broken promises from eBay
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." (Ronald Reagan)
What will the November elections bring?
Two main scenarios loom with the November elections...more of the same government swill in terms of bailouts and deficits or perhaps enough Americans will show they are fed up with garbage as usual and they'll remove career politicians who don't know how to zipper the federal wallet.
For thirty years the feds have been trashing freedoms of Americans, ignoring the Constitution and have been spending us into financial Armageddon...they need to pay a price for this anti-citizen behavior.
Given that our government is already insolvent and that ever since the Federal Reserve ripoff was put into place in 1913 (along with the shakedown called income tax) our dollar has lost 95-1/c cents of its value...I'm unsure how it will continue plodding along as if everything is just fine in Mayberry, especially knowing that roughly 25% of our total foreign debt will come due in the next 12 months!
All of the known government held reserves, including oil, gold, cash on hand and foreign reserves only total $511 billion...but we owe $1 trillion by the end of the year just to foreign creditors!
The $13 Trillion National Debt is only a down payment on our actual debts when we factor in liabilities from Medicare, Social Security, and the money that will be required to continued funding for our wars and for Fannie and Freddie. As of March 26th of this year, the Congressional Budget Office announced that our projected deficit total for the next 10 years will grow to at least $9.75 trillion. If you add up all of the unfunded liabilities the real number is $109 trillion...foreign creditors are already jumping ship and investors are fleeing the US for greener pastures elsewhere.
In July '09 at the G8 Summit, Russian President Medvedev showed off a new coin minted with the words “Unity in Diversity,” a prototype of a future world currency. China, our biggest lender, has quietly been opening currency swap lines with other countries in order to bypass American currency in order to do business.
What happens when our creditors abandon the dollar?
Alan Greenspan and Pablo Cuidotti came up with this theory about the collapse of any economy (keep in mind, NEVER in the history of the world has a country outlasted its fiat currency): To avoid a default, a nation has to maintain hard currency reserves equal to at least 10% of its short term debt.
As I showed earlier, this rule will be used by our creditors to cut off our credit.
For the first time in history, we have a global monetary base that's not anchored to any real asset!
In this country I always said our money was based on the faith of its people in the government since nothing of value backs it, or as my friend Mike says “IOU Nothing.”
It's predicted 700 US banks will likely close within the next 18 months (see last issue for a list of such banks on the endangered list...much of this fueled by bad commercial real estate paper...something I've told our readers about beginning 16 months ago or so).
If major investors such as George Soros and others are buying more gold than ever before, you know we're in trouble. If the system collapses, as it did not long ago in Argentina, watch for common services you now take for granted to vanish. Your credit & debit cards won't work, no gasoline, empty store shelves, government workers won't be paid on time.
People were selling their family heirlooms for 10 cents on the dollar. When their banks reopened, 75% of everyone's savings was gone – stolen by the government (recall in previous issues that I've been warning readers that Obama is figuring out a means to tap your retirement accounts...it will happen). In essence, the middle class in Argentina was wiped out.
Can it happen here? Well, let's just see how the elections come along...my guess – the US has 18 months tops before it officially goes bankrupt. But alas, most Americans are oblivious to the crisis and I must admit, I need to get the last of my cash out of my retirement IRA!
NOTE: Compiled and edited from various sources, newsletters, etc. which the Poor Man subscribes to
"Government," as Frédéric Bastiat, expressed it, "is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
Weekly Resource
s & Tips
Skip 'prime' cuts of beef & other supermarket savers
Go for choice cuts instead of prime to save money. You may have to use a crock pot or marinades to make the meat tender, but you'll save dough and be sure to look for meat markdowns in the morning as that's when they're placed for sale before the 'sell by' date.
For bargains on pantry staples look at the top and bottom shelves. Stock up during sales and opt for house brands.
Home Made Radiator Supercharger
If your home uses radiators for heat, take a piece of cardboard from a box you were going to pitch and cut it to the size of your radiator, cover one side with aluminum foil (shiny side out), then place it between the wall and your unit creating your own reflective insulation for free. Save some $$$
Looking for a lost love?
Sure, you can Google people but getting additional info can be gotten from this free site which has three times as many listings as Pipl.com or White Pages.com
www.ZabaSearch.com
Hand me down club
The Poor Man has featured many kinds of co-ops including food, babysitting and services but here's another suggestion from reader Barb...avoid childrens' clothing stores since kids grow so fast, clothes are quickly outgrown. Instead of buying new clothes all the time, organize a club of parents from your church or daycare or the school to exchange clothing twice a year – fall and spring. Try to arrange it so each family brings clothing in good condition and from a variety of ages. NOTE: Though the Poor Man no longer has small children, this is a good idea & we're sending you a new DVD of the Disaster Preparedness series which also features terrific activities for preparing your children for natural disasters and 46 other projects (also available from our OldBookNook.com – eBay storefront).
I suppose this concept could be applied to many areas of life.
TO DO NOTHING IS TO RISK EVERYTHING.
Winterizing Tips for Your Auto-Free Checklist
It's been many years since I've had to think about winterizing something...but a bit of prevention will go a long way in avoiding trouble not only for your home but for your auto as well. Indeed, the Poor Man finally resolved an issue he's wondered about for years...synthetic oil – YES, it is better to change over to this once your vehicle hits 100,000 miles. May cost a bit more, but you won't need to change oil as frequently and it does a better job of reducing friction in your engine.
Of course, a winterizing checklist for your car should include:
--battery, belts, tires, all fluids, exhaust system, batter terminals & cables, hoses, plugs, change to winter blades, air filters, etc..complete printable list you can use at:
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/affordabletransportation/tp/High-Mileage-Vehicle-Maintenance-Checklist.htm?nl=1
How to Solve Problems & Prevent Problems-Free ebook (interesting group)
http://www.alphapub.com/howtosolve.html
The Super-Saver's Guide to Grocery Shopping at Dollar Stores
...a few errors in this Rachel Ray piece, but a good one overall
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/the-super-savers-guide-to-grocery-shopping-at-dollar-stores-2394411/
How to Know where you're calling from...
If you ever find yourself in an unfamiliar place and need to use an unmarked phone, call the ANAC (automatic circuit number that phone repairmen use)-when you dial the number from a land line, it reads back the number from which you called. You can Google local ANAC numbers but here are a couple of common ones to use: 800-444-4444 or 444-3333...good to use if you find yourself in danger in unknown territory.
Stop eavesdroppers...you know something is fishy when a phone repair guy shows up even though no one has contacted him...if there is interference on your home phone, home radio or car radio...strange sound comes from your phone like static and squealing or if sound continues after you hang up...most likely means you're being bugged. Note: sophisticated methods also include picking up phone conversations from ¼ mile away with eavesdropping dishes or scanners...used by law breakers and law enforcement. Fun way to screw with them is to give the mouthpiece a blast from an airhorn.
Instant 'Mace' to protect your homestead...
I know some do not like to use guns and some states have stupid laws preventing people from owning tools such as mace or tear gas to defend themselves with...keep cans of Raid hornet & wasp killer handy at each door. A solid blast to the face and eyes will achieve nearly the same effect allowing you to slam the door shut, bolt it and grab your pistol. (from our Poor Man Homestead Defense CD).
"To the extent that these [New Deal policies] developed,
they were tortured interpretations of a document
[the Constitution] intended to prevent them."
-- Rexford Tugwell
(1891-1979) American agricultural economist
The Armchair Survivalist
I’ve lived through floods, fires, riots, earthquakes, hurricanes and massive snow storms. I’ve seen two types of people in each calamity.
There are those spent their time insulting those of us that prepared – calling us “kooks”, “right-wing conspirators”, “fear mongers”, and other degrading epitaths.
These are the type people we’ve all watched on TV after Katrina whining “who’s gonna feed me???”
Then there’s the other type:
Me. and you’ll never see me, or others like me, begging for food, clothes or protection from the worthless government after a disaster.
But you will see people like me, helping the idiots amongst you that were too stupid to even THINK AHEAD!
But it could never happen to you…….
http://www.armchairsurvivalist.com
Crock Pot Beef
1 (3-4 lb) pot roast or 2 pint-sized jars home-canned beef
1 (11 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (11 oz) can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 (11 oz) can French onion soup
Mix soups together.
Place roast in crock pot. Cover with soups.
Cook on low for 8-9 hours or just heat through if using home-canned beef
“Made this for dinner the other night with two pint-sized jars home-canned beef. Just add the beef and broth from the jar and shred the meat. Stir in the soups and heat through. Bet this would work nicely with a deer roast too. I thought it was pretty good for a really easy meal. We served it over egg noodles since that’s what I had. Would be really yummy over mashed potatoes. I think a hot beef sandwich would be good too. Consider adding a bit of red wine and rosemary or parsley. Would be delicious with mushrooms or peppers too. Completely change it up and add dehydrated potatoes, carrots, celery and make it a stew."
Nothing worse than a dull knife-here are some DIY ways to sharpen-The Poor Man just bought a bench grinder & it works well for me for quick sharpening of axes, etc.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Knife-Sharpening-Tricks/
http://video.about.com/culinaryarts/Sharpen-Knives-With-a-Whetston.htm
AuctionBytes Publishes Guide to Forthcoming eBay Changes
eBay company management break their promise to their customers.
AuctionBytes published a cheat sheet in the September 26th issue
of AuctionBytes Update to help sellers navigate changes eBay is
making next month. The guide includes a roundup of policy changes
along with answers to some frequently asked questions sellers had
about the announcements.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y10/m09/i27/s02
Amazon recently sent an email to thousands of their associates (affiliates) inviting them to sell on Amazon for the holidays. If you are an eBay seller, you might want to consider that as Amazon continues to surpass eBay as a sales platform and it is really easy to sell on Amazon.
Everyone is holding his or her breath to see how the holiday season works out this year. Although unemployment is still high and shows no signs of getting better, about 85% of Americans still have a job and those folks have been saving instead of spending. In fact the savings rate in the United States is at a 30-year high. Usually when Americans have money it tends to burn a hole in their pockets –but that isn’t happening. Retail sales last month came in at an anemic 0.4% growth –and only 3.5% higher than the same month last year. But August of last year was in the depths of the recession –so that isn’t saying much.
As a seller this is not the time to have all your eggs in one basket. Let’s face it: eBay’s strategy to reposition the platform as a fixed price marketplace hasn’t worked too well. Personally when I am looking for a new product at a fixed price I almost always go to Amazon first. And so do most other people. Amazon continues to grow while eBay is still stagnant.
Does that mean you should leave eBay altogether? No! There are still billions of dollars worth of goods sold on eBay every year and you want a piece of that –but why sell only on eBay, when Amazon is just as easy. This way you get the best of both.
Bragging rights for a knife...
I just purchased a great Herter (Murphy) knife from an eBay seller who provided precisely what he advertised, delivered quick and I wanted to share it with our readers. Check out Mike's Elliptical Knife site at:
http://ellipticalknives.com
The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague.
Bill Cosby.
The Nine Things You Should Be
Doing NOW and Everyday
by Henry Daniels
http://www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com
“Must Do” #1: Stay Alert and in the Know.
New economic realities confront us on a daily basis. Our discussion has centered on a groundbreaking documentary, “The Fall of America and the Western World” which let us in on the thoughts, principles and policies of right wing, left wing, centrist and independent economic and political thinkers.
Each week we’ve offered practical advice on things you can do to prepare for further economic deterioration and ultimately, your survival. This marks the last of our articles — we thought it would be advantageous to summarize our previous tips on what you should be doing starting right now and going forward to best position yourself to keep your head above water…
TIP ONE: Get Real. You must realize you are being lied to by the media, the politicians and the experts. If you don’t accept this reality, then you will not be serious in your efforts to change your situation.
TIP TWO: Be Prepared. Figure out what you’ll need to survive and examine what you have. This will tell you what you don’t have. Start a plan so you can get what you need, but don’t yet have.
TIP THREE: Become Self-Sufficient. The more dependent you are on others, the less likely your chances of survival. Start with the basics: food and water. Do you have a plan for feeding yourself if the food supply chain breaks down, supermarkets go out of business and your cupboards are bare?
TIP FOUR: Be Secure. As things get worse, those that have will become targets of those who have not. Is your home secure? Are you hiding your “wealth” and looking poor? Are your assets easy to get to but securely protected?
TIP FIVE: Get Off the Grid. As resources dwindle a steady, reliable source of power will become a necessity. Solar, wind and hydropower are all within the reach of the individual, depending on your location. Transportation needs also must be considered, especially if you are reliant on public transit. Do you have a bicycle?
TIP SIX: Get Out of the Dollar. You will need an emergency fund. Dollars are not the currency you want this fund in. Think precious metals and buying a safe to store them in as your bank may not be around much longer.
TIP SEVEN: Think Individually, Act Privately. Be brutally honest about your skills. If your skill set will enable you to do things that others are going to need, you’ve just improved your odds of survival.
TIP EIGHT: Educate Yourself and Your Family. Go old school. Read books. Don’t satisfy yourself reading just those who mimic your beliefs; read about alternative viewpoints, too. The more you know, the more you grow. The wise man learns something new every day. When was the last time you learned something new?
TIP NINE: Investigate the Opportunities. Every situation has opportunities, even our current economic climate. Keep your outlook positive, surround yourself with upbeat people and keep your eyes open for opportunities to present themselves. They will. Just make sure that you seize them when they do.
America Loves Crap...Parting bittersweet thoughts!
Am I the only one who realizes what’s happening globally…how America is losing its stature, how China is coming into a dominate role with Russia coming in as number two? Hell, the US won’t compete any longer in space as NASA retires its space fleet soon with nothing to replace it…you can bet this is not the case in China or Russia. China in particular, is investing in every sort of technology and hedging its natural resources bets though investment throughout Asia and Africa.
The US still maintains a dominant military role, but that won’t last much longer.
What kills me is how stupid most Americans have become in terms of world affairs. The flatworms who run the network news have helped to dummy down America through its infotainment empire, no hard news, no documentaries, just crap. Dateline and shows of that ilk have become murder nonsense of the week. There is no journalism because Americans are more concerned with American Idol malarky than world affairs.
It breaks my heart to witness how our country is taking a back seat to just about everything meaningful and becoming a second class debtor nation...it's especially painful to see how few of the younger generation seem to care. So long as they have their cell phone, it doesn't seem to bother them.
The Washington-Wall Street Cartel has been torching the Bill of Right and the Constitution for 30 years while Wall Street has destroyed the middle class...hey, who needs a job in the USA, everyone can just become a burger flipper or work for the government! Most recently, the FBI staged raids against peace activists (guns drawn of course). I thought this type of government folly had gone the way of Viet Nam antiwar protestors but apparently it's not. Video at: http://www.utne.com/Politics/FBI-Raids-Unite-Left-Right-in-Reaction.aspx?utm_content=09.29.10+Spirituality&utm_campaign=Emerging+Ideas-Every+Day&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email
“The income gap between the richest and poorest Americans grew last year to its widest amount on record as young adults and children in particular struggled to stay afloat in the recession.” (USA Today)
Yeah, I know, there are always a few bright spots but they are getting harder to find.
Here are Signs the U.S. Is Losing Its Influence In Its Own Backyard:
Our most powerful regional ally--Brazil--refuses to follow our orders on Iran
Hillary Clinton went to Brazil to beg support for sanctions against Iran and came away empty handed. Now the UN is counting on Brazil, which is friendly with America and Iran, to lead nuclear diplomacy.
The World's Richest Man is now a Mexican, not an American.
For the first time in 16 years, the World's Richest Man is not an American. Carlos Slim, worth $54 billion, is the first Latin American to hold that title and one of many emerging market billionaires to eclipse the U.S.
Three years after a US financial crisis, Latin America is again growing rapidly. The U.S.? Not so much...read more at:
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/10-signs-the-us-is-losing-its-influence-in-the-western-hemisphere-535456.html?tickers=eem,ewz,fxi,eeb,jjm,^dji,xle
The end of the USA, just like the end of Rome won't come all at once...the plug won't mysteriously be pulled in the middle of the night. Short of a nuclear attack, it most likely will be a gradual thing. As we see our rights gradually erode, our incomes slide, further declines in government services, etc.
That's all for this week from your lamentable latitudinarian – the Poor Man!
Send us your suggestions and news poormansurvivor@yahoo.com
http://www.PoorManSurvivor.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
http://www.OldbookNook.com
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Is the Day of Reckoning Near? Will Your Bank Fail Next?
Bruce’s Poor Man Bulletin
Your choice for urban survival resources!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
In This Issue:
Is the Day of Reckoning Near?
Weekly freebies
Septic tank safeguards
Vulnerable banks
Save the economy by starting a sideline business
Seasoning & caring for your CI Cookware
The 4th Amendment-May it Rest in Peace!
How Far Off is our National Day of Reckoning?
The world has changed so drastically over the past 10-years:
1) The endless War on Terror and the rise of police states around the world
2) Elimination of financial privacy
3) The bursting of four major bubbles-- stocks, credit, derivatives, property
4) Developing nations' increasing economic dominance
5) The end of America's economic and diplomatic primacy
6) The greatest global economic decline since the Industrial Revolution
7) Rising world population coupled with food and water shortages
8) Loss of confidence in major institutions: government, banks, corporations
9) The growing, addict-like social dependency on technology
10) Central planning in the world's most "free" economies
When you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, he immediately senses danger and jumps out. When you put him in cool water and slowly bring it to boil, the frog won't sense danger until it's too late.
Many would say the system has collapsed or is about to. There are a lot of people who still cling to it, who put their trust in their governments... they'll keep buying bonds, CD's, etc….however, even government workers are now feeling the pinch as we predicted.
Over the next 10-years as governments continue to put the squeeze on the middle class you can be certain things like rising taxes, capital controls, further erosion of financial privacy, increased regulation, will take place at an even faster pace.
I would suggest asking yourself one simple question: Will the paper currencies of the largest debtor nations in history continue to be reasonable stores of value?
Very unlikely and a complete loss of confidence is coming, and this will have hugely negative effects on your lifestyle. Although it seemed a 100 years ago, my political science professor to me that when enough people begin to ask such questions, we’re in trouble. When a country stops producing goods, it is in trouble and I believe we’re nearly there.
With the loss of jobs and confidence in the president & Congress, we can see that…
The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty…which ultimately led to the war on the middle class by the Washington-Wall Street Cartel.
We know that at least 75% of the population is still employed in some fashion, usually at a lower wage and without benefits, than previously in this country…further, we know the recession won’t be over until people are making a living wage or have become income generators of sorts. Take a look at one of our reader’s resources, Dave Roman, to help you develop other sources of income-more at the end of this week’s letter.
"It is not the function of the government
to keep the citizen from falling into error;
it is the function of the citizen to keep
the government from falling into error."
-- Justice Robert H. Jackson
(1892-1954), U. S. Supreme Court Justice
Weekly Freebies & Tips
1. FREE CAR-REPAIR HELP
It won't fix your car free (darn), but RepairPal.com will help you find out whether your mechanic is quoting a fair price.
Enter your car's make, model and year, plus your zip code. Then choose among dozens of fixes to get a price range for the job at dealerships and independent shops in your area.
2. FREE TECH SUPPORT
If you're a member of Sam's Club or Costco, you can get free tech support -- even if you didn't buy the device at their store.
Or, for PC problems, anyone can head to TechGuy.org or 5starsupport.com for free help. You can search the forums for your computer's particular ailment or post a question to receive a timely response from the sites' groups of geek volunteers. And don't forget to try the manufacturer's Web site. Many post user manuals and FAQs to help you solve your dilemma.
3. FREE TREATS
Your favorite snack shop or fast-food restaurant may have an annual freebie day. Mark your calendar for free IHOP pancakes in February; free Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Rita's Italian ice, and a Starbucks pastry in March; free Pretzel Time pretzels and a Cinnabon treat in April; free Haagen Daas ice cream in May; a free Krispy Kreme doughnut, Sonic root-beer float and TCBY frozen yogurt in June; and a free Chick-Fil-A meal in July -- to name a few.
You can also sign up to score free food on your birthday from Famous Dave’s BBQ, Cold Stone Creamery, Denny’s and other eateries. Search the Web for "birthday freebies," or call your local restaurants to ask whether they offer such a deal.
4. FREE FINANCIAL APPS
There's a slew of free apps for your mobile phone that can simplify your financial tasks.
Among our favorites are apps from Mint.com to track your spending and investments, Allpoint and Moneypass to find surcharge-free ATMs nearby, Yowza for coupons on the go and CheckPlease Lite to easily calculate a tip or divide a restaurant check.
5. FREE BOOKS, MUSIC, MOVIES AND MORE
You'll find the mother lode of freebies at your public library. All the books, magazines, audio books, video games and CDs you can carry won't cost a cent. Many libraries also have free Wi-Fi, DVDs and e-books. You may be able to go online to place your order for materials and a librarian will have them waiting for you when you arrive.
And that's not all. Your library may host free book clubs, lectures, film screenings, children's story times, craft activities and other community events.
6. FREE DIAMOND-RING INSPECTION
One loose prong can weaken the setting on your diamond ring, risking the loss of your sparkler -- and thousands of dollars with it. Most jewelers will inspect your ring free of charge, especially if you purchased your jewelry from their shop. Many will even throw in a free cleaning.
It's a good idea to take advantage of this freebie at least once a year.
7. FREE COMPUTER PROTECTION
Is your computer vulnerable? You can download malware-protection services available free online.
We recommend PC Magazine's Editor's Choice: Panda Cloud Antivirus, AVG anti-virus or try Microsoft's Security Essentials, which PCWorld.com says renders subscription antivirus services unnecessary.
Read more: http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/fabulous-freebies-2010.html?kipad_id=x#ixzz0yrmuQtUG
"The history of government management of money has, except
for a few short happy periods, been one of incessant fraud
and deception." --Frederich on Hayek, Nobel Laureate
Free textbooks (aka open textbooks) written by scholars are a relatively new phenomenon. Below, find a meta list of 150 Free Textbooks, and check back often for new additions. Also see our online collection of Free Courses.
http://www.openculture.com/free_textbooks
Free Short Course-Broken Window Myth & No Free Lunch Economics-Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG3AKoL0vEs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmqoCHR14n8&feature=related
Cast Iron Cookware-Caring for it
Some of the best fried chicken I ever tasted was cooked in a cast iron skillet and these long lasting tools are good for outdoor or indoor cooking. This cookware heats slowly and evenly, and holds heat well - great for fried food, stews and soups (and even camp biscuits). The only drawback is that it rusts easily and needs to be ‘seasoned’ periodically prior to use.
Although I prefer the older Wagnerware to some of the new stuff I see on the market all of it should be pre-seasoned by scrubbing it thoroughly: coat the inside thinly and evenly with melted, unsalted shortening or vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil) and place into a pre-heated 350 oven for two hours. When finished, allow to cool and then wipe off the excess oil, rinse and dry it on a burner set at low heat (I would discourage doing this on a flat top electric range though for fear of potential damage).
After each use, wipe the utensil out with a towel and dry immediately. If food has burned on or stuck to it, scour with table salt.
Store in a dry area, leaving the lid off to prevent buildup of moisture; some place towels or paper towels in them. Never store food in them either. In my younger, restaurant days, we just dropped the cast iron skillet into the deep fat fryer to achieve this seasoning within a few minutes!
Safeguarding your Septic System tips…
Nothing worse than an overloaded or malfunctioning system…smells swell! Most people don’t give much thought to their system until a problem occurs and the longer you wait, the worse it gets. As a young man I got talked into digging out an old system by hand and brother, even though I was in terrific physical condition, it was hard work!
Keep in mind the following tips and hints:
Routine maintenance is required - it should be pumped out every two or three years depending on usage.
Keep the crap out (pun intended)-avoid putting such items as kitchen grease, kitty litter, sanitary products, cotton swabs or balls, etc. as it will block the lines.
Repair leaking pipes & fixtures asap as an excess amount of water will also damage your system
Use shorter showers and water miser shower heads (order them via our GreenIrene.com/Poorman site)
Direct rainwater away from the septic field - use rain barrels
Keep vehicles off the field and other heavy equipment
Remove trees and heavy shrubbery from the field to prevent roots from screwing up your drain lines. Remove roots using copper sulfate (2 lbs per 300 gallon tank capacity but no more than twice a year)
Do use baking soda or some yeast every so often in your toilet to keep the bacteria going - DON’t use bleach.
Your local health department or county extension office can provide useful assistance (see a link to every extension office at the PoorManSurvial.com DIY links section)…or watch the Red Green show for tips from his buddy, the ‘septic sucking service guy!”
What the Poor Man is reading this week (of course, that means you should too)!
Thomas Woods, New York Times bestselling author of 10 books, a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and author of "Nullification: How to resist federal tyranny in the 21st Century".
Professor Woods is a frequent critique of the abuse of power by the federal government and our nation's social decay and has spent years documenting the centralization of power. In today's episode, you'll discover:
The mechanism the founding fathers put in place for resisting abusive government
All the ammunition you need to fight back against angry liberals....and win
What it will (unfortunately) take before most people realize the extent of our problems
The one question to ask any politician to find out where their true loyalties are
Most Vulnerable Large U.S.
Banks and Thrifts
(with a Weiss Rating of D+ or lower and assets of $25 billion or more)
Institution Weiss Rating Bank of America D Citibank D Wells Fargo Bank D US Bank D PNC Bank D+ HSBC Bank USA NC D+ Suntrust Bank D- Regions Bank D- Capitol One D+ RBS Citizens D- KeyBank D- ING Bank FSB D Union Bank D+ Sovereign Bank D- Compass Bank D- Huntington National Bank D- M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank D- E*Trade Bank D- Wells Fargo Bank South Central D Bank of America California .
If our Trade be taxed, why not our Lands, or Produce in short, everything we possess? They tax us without having legal representation.
-- Samuel Adams
(1722-1803), was known as the "Father of the American Revolution."
A 15% Poverty Rate in America? Parting shots…
How to fix the economy…
You’ve probably seen the reports as to how number of taxpaying Americans are falling as poverty rates climb to as high as 15%...but we‘re now out of the recession…nearly half the households in America now get some sort of government assistance (Social Security, disability, food stamps, etc). I’m unsure why they include Social Security as a form of government assistance, after all, most folks pay into that and are entitled to it. Yet, we also see record amounts of cash being donated to various political groups and elected reps in Washington still taking pay raises, people still stand in line to buy the latest overpriced cell phone but are complaining they don’t have enough to buy school supplies! What’s wrong with this picture?
Even a blind man could see Washington and Wall Street are lying through their teeth…
Much of this is contradictory. We have two wars and no rationing at home as we did during WWII. No politician has given up their annual pay raise that I know of. We have no fiscal restraint in Washington, except when it comes to main street. We have a president who pushed for a national health care plan, which is great, but who can afford it when there are no jobs?
We face an essential takeover of retirement plans to cover the irresponsible spending of Congress, yet most US firms no longer even offer a pension. None of this makes sense to me.
Perhaps what we need is a return to the old homestead act which opened up with west to American settlement while offering a free plot of land to citizens willing to work that land and to build on it…reconfigured for the 21st century to perhaps include a better, fairer means of taxation, a better means of educating our young (not by simply throwing more money at it), a better means of keeping jobs in America vs. shipping them to other countries which does not benefit this country, a better means of equipping interested citizens in the ways and financing of entrepreneurship to create US jobs, etc.
America needs to fuel small business growth. In the Netherlands, citizens can opt out of getting unemployment and instead, use that money to start a business. The only thing that will save this country (beyond getting rid of politics as usual) is to foster job growth through small business - even if it’s on a sideline basis…and it provides a good tax reduction strategy. Here’s where my old friend Dave Roman can help you.
Dave has one of the longest running newsletters in the nation and has filtered through countless numbers of scams and featured only the good stuff…check out his book and be certain to use the discount code.
The book/manual normally sells for $39.95. If our readers go to the second page of the book web page (by clicking on the link on the bottom of the first book web page - the 7 techniques page) then they can go to the very bottom of that page to the "special offer" page. Clicking this link will take them to the special offer page where they can put your code in the offer box. The code is BD001. That way they will get the $29.95 price.
There is a bonus report that comes with the book. They get the names of 50 Mystery Shopping companies. I've mystery shopped many a restaurant in NE Ohio. The company pays for your meal. They will also get the updated version of the book when it's complete in about 3 months.
I have created two links to get to the book ad page and order info:
http://tiny.cc/profitable.ideas this link goes directly to the book web page
http://www.homebusinessguru.net this link goes to my home page. On this page, they have to click on the "7 Techniques" link to get to
the book page.
Something akin to the old biblical teaching - teach a person how to fish, give them the tools to fish, get out of their way and let them fish so they won’t go hungry!
Our goal is to help you become more self sufficient!
Yours for better living,
The Poor Man…your new director of the International Security Agency
Visit our sites. Find useful how-to information such as this terrific resource we first offered in 1999!
"Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook" is a literal treasure trove of information. You'll discover:
How to determine if you're emotionally and mentally prepared (Chapter 1, page 3)
The spiritual foundation you absolutely must have (Chapter 4, page 2)
What you should have in your 3 Day Survival Kit (Chapter 5, page 2)
Suggestions for organizing all your information (Chapter 6, page 3)
How to put together your personal in-home grocery store (Chapter 7, page 1)
And much more. For example, you'll learn:
How to manage your long-term storage
Locating, purifying and storing water
Step by Step guide to healthy kitchen gardening
The basics of wheat, sourdough and flour cookery
In home drying of fruits and vegetables
As well as the basics of preparing game meats, fish and fowl. There's so much more in "Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook" that I'd like to tell you about, but I just don't have the space in this email to cover everything. Rest assured that over the course of 28 chapters you'll learn how to put together a well-rounded preparedness plan that anyone can use to prepare for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, economic collapse, epidemic, martial law or even just a short-term disruption in normal life that might otherwise be catastrophic.
Just imagine how much more at peace you'll be with "Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook" in your household, available even for a child to read and learn from. The peace of mind you'll have knowing that you've got a proven, time-tested guide for preparing is invaluable.
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
http://www.OldBookNook.com
A Shallow Planet Production
P.S. If you haven't already noticed, be prepared as commodity prices head up higher beginning this month. Things such as sugar, gold, etc. which means end products made from these will spike higher as well. Just look at what you're now paying for a 4lb bag of sugar – more than what you paid for a 5lb bag last year.
Your choice for urban survival resources!
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
In This Issue:
Is the Day of Reckoning Near?
Weekly freebies
Septic tank safeguards
Vulnerable banks
Save the economy by starting a sideline business
Seasoning & caring for your CI Cookware
The 4th Amendment-May it Rest in Peace!
How Far Off is our National Day of Reckoning?
The world has changed so drastically over the past 10-years:
1) The endless War on Terror and the rise of police states around the world
2) Elimination of financial privacy
3) The bursting of four major bubbles-- stocks, credit, derivatives, property
4) Developing nations' increasing economic dominance
5) The end of America's economic and diplomatic primacy
6) The greatest global economic decline since the Industrial Revolution
7) Rising world population coupled with food and water shortages
8) Loss of confidence in major institutions: government, banks, corporations
9) The growing, addict-like social dependency on technology
10) Central planning in the world's most "free" economies
When you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, he immediately senses danger and jumps out. When you put him in cool water and slowly bring it to boil, the frog won't sense danger until it's too late.
Many would say the system has collapsed or is about to. There are a lot of people who still cling to it, who put their trust in their governments... they'll keep buying bonds, CD's, etc….however, even government workers are now feeling the pinch as we predicted.
Over the next 10-years as governments continue to put the squeeze on the middle class you can be certain things like rising taxes, capital controls, further erosion of financial privacy, increased regulation, will take place at an even faster pace.
I would suggest asking yourself one simple question: Will the paper currencies of the largest debtor nations in history continue to be reasonable stores of value?
Very unlikely and a complete loss of confidence is coming, and this will have hugely negative effects on your lifestyle. Although it seemed a 100 years ago, my political science professor to me that when enough people begin to ask such questions, we’re in trouble. When a country stops producing goods, it is in trouble and I believe we’re nearly there.
With the loss of jobs and confidence in the president & Congress, we can see that…
The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty…which ultimately led to the war on the middle class by the Washington-Wall Street Cartel.
We know that at least 75% of the population is still employed in some fashion, usually at a lower wage and without benefits, than previously in this country…further, we know the recession won’t be over until people are making a living wage or have become income generators of sorts. Take a look at one of our reader’s resources, Dave Roman, to help you develop other sources of income-more at the end of this week’s letter.
"It is not the function of the government
to keep the citizen from falling into error;
it is the function of the citizen to keep
the government from falling into error."
-- Justice Robert H. Jackson
(1892-1954), U. S. Supreme Court Justice
Weekly Freebies & Tips
1. FREE CAR-REPAIR HELP
It won't fix your car free (darn), but RepairPal.com will help you find out whether your mechanic is quoting a fair price.
Enter your car's make, model and year, plus your zip code. Then choose among dozens of fixes to get a price range for the job at dealerships and independent shops in your area.
2. FREE TECH SUPPORT
If you're a member of Sam's Club or Costco, you can get free tech support -- even if you didn't buy the device at their store.
Or, for PC problems, anyone can head to TechGuy.org or 5starsupport.com for free help. You can search the forums for your computer's particular ailment or post a question to receive a timely response from the sites' groups of geek volunteers. And don't forget to try the manufacturer's Web site. Many post user manuals and FAQs to help you solve your dilemma.
3. FREE TREATS
Your favorite snack shop or fast-food restaurant may have an annual freebie day. Mark your calendar for free IHOP pancakes in February; free Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Rita's Italian ice, and a Starbucks pastry in March; free Pretzel Time pretzels and a Cinnabon treat in April; free Haagen Daas ice cream in May; a free Krispy Kreme doughnut, Sonic root-beer float and TCBY frozen yogurt in June; and a free Chick-Fil-A meal in July -- to name a few.
You can also sign up to score free food on your birthday from Famous Dave’s BBQ, Cold Stone Creamery, Denny’s and other eateries. Search the Web for "birthday freebies," or call your local restaurants to ask whether they offer such a deal.
4. FREE FINANCIAL APPS
There's a slew of free apps for your mobile phone that can simplify your financial tasks.
Among our favorites are apps from Mint.com to track your spending and investments, Allpoint and Moneypass to find surcharge-free ATMs nearby, Yowza for coupons on the go and CheckPlease Lite to easily calculate a tip or divide a restaurant check.
5. FREE BOOKS, MUSIC, MOVIES AND MORE
You'll find the mother lode of freebies at your public library. All the books, magazines, audio books, video games and CDs you can carry won't cost a cent. Many libraries also have free Wi-Fi, DVDs and e-books. You may be able to go online to place your order for materials and a librarian will have them waiting for you when you arrive.
And that's not all. Your library may host free book clubs, lectures, film screenings, children's story times, craft activities and other community events.
6. FREE DIAMOND-RING INSPECTION
One loose prong can weaken the setting on your diamond ring, risking the loss of your sparkler -- and thousands of dollars with it. Most jewelers will inspect your ring free of charge, especially if you purchased your jewelry from their shop. Many will even throw in a free cleaning.
It's a good idea to take advantage of this freebie at least once a year.
7. FREE COMPUTER PROTECTION
Is your computer vulnerable? You can download malware-protection services available free online.
We recommend PC Magazine's Editor's Choice: Panda Cloud Antivirus, AVG anti-virus or try Microsoft's Security Essentials, which PCWorld.com says renders subscription antivirus services unnecessary.
Read more: http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/fabulous-freebies-2010.html?kipad_id=x#ixzz0yrmuQtUG
"The history of government management of money has, except
for a few short happy periods, been one of incessant fraud
and deception." --Frederich on Hayek, Nobel Laureate
Free textbooks (aka open textbooks) written by scholars are a relatively new phenomenon. Below, find a meta list of 150 Free Textbooks, and check back often for new additions. Also see our online collection of Free Courses.
http://www.openculture.com/free_textbooks
Free Short Course-Broken Window Myth & No Free Lunch Economics-Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG3AKoL0vEs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmqoCHR14n8&feature=related
Cast Iron Cookware-Caring for it
Some of the best fried chicken I ever tasted was cooked in a cast iron skillet and these long lasting tools are good for outdoor or indoor cooking. This cookware heats slowly and evenly, and holds heat well - great for fried food, stews and soups (and even camp biscuits). The only drawback is that it rusts easily and needs to be ‘seasoned’ periodically prior to use.
Although I prefer the older Wagnerware to some of the new stuff I see on the market all of it should be pre-seasoned by scrubbing it thoroughly: coat the inside thinly and evenly with melted, unsalted shortening or vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil) and place into a pre-heated 350 oven for two hours. When finished, allow to cool and then wipe off the excess oil, rinse and dry it on a burner set at low heat (I would discourage doing this on a flat top electric range though for fear of potential damage).
After each use, wipe the utensil out with a towel and dry immediately. If food has burned on or stuck to it, scour with table salt.
Store in a dry area, leaving the lid off to prevent buildup of moisture; some place towels or paper towels in them. Never store food in them either. In my younger, restaurant days, we just dropped the cast iron skillet into the deep fat fryer to achieve this seasoning within a few minutes!
Safeguarding your Septic System tips…
Nothing worse than an overloaded or malfunctioning system…smells swell! Most people don’t give much thought to their system until a problem occurs and the longer you wait, the worse it gets. As a young man I got talked into digging out an old system by hand and brother, even though I was in terrific physical condition, it was hard work!
Keep in mind the following tips and hints:
Routine maintenance is required - it should be pumped out every two or three years depending on usage.
Keep the crap out (pun intended)-avoid putting such items as kitchen grease, kitty litter, sanitary products, cotton swabs or balls, etc. as it will block the lines.
Repair leaking pipes & fixtures asap as an excess amount of water will also damage your system
Use shorter showers and water miser shower heads (order them via our GreenIrene.com/Poorman site)
Direct rainwater away from the septic field - use rain barrels
Keep vehicles off the field and other heavy equipment
Remove trees and heavy shrubbery from the field to prevent roots from screwing up your drain lines. Remove roots using copper sulfate (2 lbs per 300 gallon tank capacity but no more than twice a year)
Do use baking soda or some yeast every so often in your toilet to keep the bacteria going - DON’t use bleach.
Your local health department or county extension office can provide useful assistance (see a link to every extension office at the PoorManSurvial.com DIY links section)…or watch the Red Green show for tips from his buddy, the ‘septic sucking service guy!”
What the Poor Man is reading this week (of course, that means you should too)!
Thomas Woods, New York Times bestselling author of 10 books, a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and author of "Nullification: How to resist federal tyranny in the 21st Century".
Professor Woods is a frequent critique of the abuse of power by the federal government and our nation's social decay and has spent years documenting the centralization of power. In today's episode, you'll discover:
The mechanism the founding fathers put in place for resisting abusive government
All the ammunition you need to fight back against angry liberals....and win
What it will (unfortunately) take before most people realize the extent of our problems
The one question to ask any politician to find out where their true loyalties are
Most Vulnerable Large U.S.
Banks and Thrifts
(with a Weiss Rating of D+ or lower and assets of $25 billion or more)
Institution Weiss Rating Bank of America D Citibank D Wells Fargo Bank D US Bank D PNC Bank D+ HSBC Bank USA NC D+ Suntrust Bank D- Regions Bank D- Capitol One D+ RBS Citizens D- KeyBank D- ING Bank FSB D Union Bank D+ Sovereign Bank D- Compass Bank D- Huntington National Bank D- M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank D- E*Trade Bank D- Wells Fargo Bank South Central D Bank of America California .
If our Trade be taxed, why not our Lands, or Produce in short, everything we possess? They tax us without having legal representation.
-- Samuel Adams
(1722-1803), was known as the "Father of the American Revolution."
A 15% Poverty Rate in America? Parting shots…
How to fix the economy…
You’ve probably seen the reports as to how number of taxpaying Americans are falling as poverty rates climb to as high as 15%...but we‘re now out of the recession…nearly half the households in America now get some sort of government assistance (Social Security, disability, food stamps, etc). I’m unsure why they include Social Security as a form of government assistance, after all, most folks pay into that and are entitled to it. Yet, we also see record amounts of cash being donated to various political groups and elected reps in Washington still taking pay raises, people still stand in line to buy the latest overpriced cell phone but are complaining they don’t have enough to buy school supplies! What’s wrong with this picture?
Even a blind man could see Washington and Wall Street are lying through their teeth…
Much of this is contradictory. We have two wars and no rationing at home as we did during WWII. No politician has given up their annual pay raise that I know of. We have no fiscal restraint in Washington, except when it comes to main street. We have a president who pushed for a national health care plan, which is great, but who can afford it when there are no jobs?
We face an essential takeover of retirement plans to cover the irresponsible spending of Congress, yet most US firms no longer even offer a pension. None of this makes sense to me.
Perhaps what we need is a return to the old homestead act which opened up with west to American settlement while offering a free plot of land to citizens willing to work that land and to build on it…reconfigured for the 21st century to perhaps include a better, fairer means of taxation, a better means of educating our young (not by simply throwing more money at it), a better means of keeping jobs in America vs. shipping them to other countries which does not benefit this country, a better means of equipping interested citizens in the ways and financing of entrepreneurship to create US jobs, etc.
America needs to fuel small business growth. In the Netherlands, citizens can opt out of getting unemployment and instead, use that money to start a business. The only thing that will save this country (beyond getting rid of politics as usual) is to foster job growth through small business - even if it’s on a sideline basis…and it provides a good tax reduction strategy. Here’s where my old friend Dave Roman can help you.
Dave has one of the longest running newsletters in the nation and has filtered through countless numbers of scams and featured only the good stuff…check out his book and be certain to use the discount code.
The book/manual normally sells for $39.95. If our readers go to the second page of the book web page (by clicking on the link on the bottom of the first book web page - the 7 techniques page) then they can go to the very bottom of that page to the "special offer" page. Clicking this link will take them to the special offer page where they can put your code in the offer box. The code is BD001. That way they will get the $29.95 price.
There is a bonus report that comes with the book. They get the names of 50 Mystery Shopping companies. I've mystery shopped many a restaurant in NE Ohio. The company pays for your meal. They will also get the updated version of the book when it's complete in about 3 months.
I have created two links to get to the book ad page and order info:
http://tiny.cc/profitable.ideas this link goes directly to the book web page
http://www.homebusinessguru.net this link goes to my home page. On this page, they have to click on the "7 Techniques" link to get to
the book page.
Something akin to the old biblical teaching - teach a person how to fish, give them the tools to fish, get out of their way and let them fish so they won’t go hungry!
Our goal is to help you become more self sufficient!
Yours for better living,
The Poor Man…your new director of the International Security Agency
Visit our sites. Find useful how-to information such as this terrific resource we first offered in 1999!
"Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook" is a literal treasure trove of information. You'll discover:
How to determine if you're emotionally and mentally prepared (Chapter 1, page 3)
The spiritual foundation you absolutely must have (Chapter 4, page 2)
What you should have in your 3 Day Survival Kit (Chapter 5, page 2)
Suggestions for organizing all your information (Chapter 6, page 3)
How to put together your personal in-home grocery store (Chapter 7, page 1)
And much more. For example, you'll learn:
How to manage your long-term storage
Locating, purifying and storing water
Step by Step guide to healthy kitchen gardening
The basics of wheat, sourdough and flour cookery
In home drying of fruits and vegetables
As well as the basics of preparing game meats, fish and fowl. There's so much more in "Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook" that I'd like to tell you about, but I just don't have the space in this email to cover everything. Rest assured that over the course of 28 chapters you'll learn how to put together a well-rounded preparedness plan that anyone can use to prepare for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, economic collapse, epidemic, martial law or even just a short-term disruption in normal life that might otherwise be catastrophic.
Just imagine how much more at peace you'll be with "Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook" in your household, available even for a child to read and learn from. The peace of mind you'll have knowing that you've got a proven, time-tested guide for preparing is invaluable.
Don't Get Caught With Your Pantry Down-New 11th Ed.
http://tinyurl.com/PMBasics
http://www.PoorManSurvival.com
http://www.GreenIrene.com/PoorMan
http://www.OldBookNook.com
A Shallow Planet Production
P.S. If you haven't already noticed, be prepared as commodity prices head up higher beginning this month. Things such as sugar, gold, etc. which means end products made from these will spike higher as well. Just look at what you're now paying for a 4lb bag of sugar – more than what you paid for a 5lb bag last year.
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