All About the Panic-Free Lifestyle of Self-Sufficient Living

Wake Up and Prioritize

[caption id="attachment_4007" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Having a nice house isn't everything"][/caption]

The party was so wonderful. The house was warm with hugs, greetings, and shared tales of joy and heartache from the previous year. So and so had a new baby on the way. The hostess had just received a new customized dining room table so that she could seat her burgeoning family at meal time. A young man had just been honorably advanced in the military. Seeing old friends and making news ones was a great way to start the New Year. So why was I so distraught as I walked home?  What was it that was interrupting my happiness from attending such an event? What a beautiful home.  The food was scrumptious.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Generator-Diesel Part III

Ok Folks, here’s the conclusion of the generator series, including understanding diesel and the authors overall recommendations. We hope you found this series helpful!

by Guest Author Ted Blanchard

 Understanding Diesel Generators

DieselOperational economy depends in part on the cost per unit volume of your fuel. Diesel generators are generally more fuel efficient (quarts burned per hour for a given power output) than gasoline units, but the overall cost efficiency can be lower depending on what the fuel rates are at the pump.  

By Preparedness Pro, ago
Fuels

Back Up Power Generator: Understanding Fuels–Part II

by Guest Author Ted Blanchard

Generator Fuels

[caption id="attachment_3981" align="alignright" width="200" caption="What is the best type of fuel for your generator?"]Fuels[/caption]

Different types of generators are designed to run on fuels that may include, gasoline, propane, natural gas and diesel.  Don’t get one that runs on electricity though (that’s a little joke, folks). For the sake of brevity, I won’t go into water-powered or gasified wood-powered generators. Battery started engines are just fine and make the use much more enjoyable.  Some generators can be modified to run on something other than their original design fuel, and some can selectively run on more than one type of fuel.  These are not very common and potentially add complexity to the system that could translate to shorter life span or undesirable operation, but properly configured tri-fuel (propane, natural gas and gasoline) generators provide flexibility and can make sense in some circumstances. The dry fuel “carburetor” does not add much complexity but, as with all things, the KISS principle applies.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Back Up Power Generator–Part I

By Guest Author, Ted Blanchard

GeneratorI confess. A generator is not one of my chosen tools for preparedness. But then again, I tend to prepare more for a serious survival scenario i.e.: a widespread national crisis, in which case I feel that a generator is useless and simply paints you as a target of the morally deficit and desperate individuals. However, in the event of  a more temporary power outage scenario due to a hurricane, snow storm or such, a generator would certainly be a worthwhile tool to have. As such, I have solicited the assistance of Ted Blanchard, last week’s guest author to provide for us a 3 part series on understanding, protecting, and utilizing a generator. So here is part 1.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

What Does the Preparedness Pro Want for Christmas?

Kind of funny, but I have been asked non-stop this past month what I’ve asked Santa Claus for Christmas.  So, I’m going to tell you.

  1. ChristmasAn Aero-Garden- so that I can grow more goodies inside the home. It’s more convenient for me to handle them indoors and I like having more living plants in my home to provide more wonderful oxygen.
  2. Molasses– I simply can’t seem to get enough of this stuff and there are so many wonderful goodies I can make with it such as ginger snaps and ginger bread. It’s a bit pricey so I don’t buy it for myself much. But I never mind it when Santa splurges on things like that. However, you should try the molasses powder! It is shelf stable, easy to use, and a great addition to your preparedness pantry.
By Preparedness Pro, ago
fear

Fear Not

I don’t think people experience fear because folks aren’t spiritually minded. And I don’t think it’s because anyone is being unkind. But I’m getting a lot of feedback of folks not understanding why Spiritual Preparedness is the most important and thus the highest priority of preparedness. While I’ve attempted to answer this in part previously, I’m not exactly a pro when it comes to writing what I feel in such a way that it is conveyed very well. So today I’m going to give it another shot. fear

 

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Guess Who’s Spending the Night? Storm on its Way

[caption id="attachment_4696" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Major snowstorms blanket the Eastern coast"]storm[/caption]

Over the last two days I’ve heard from friends and readers recount their stories of the last few days of confronting the snow storm in the east.  Two of my friends attended a Christmas party at an upscale townhome in Annapolis, Maryland.  They drove their SUV and felt that all would be well in spite of the windy snow storm. When the party was over and the guests were leaving, it was quickly apparent that no guests were leaving—not even the driver of the Hummer. All of the vehicles were literally snowed in.  So what did the guests do? 

By Preparedness Pro, ago