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May The Force Be With You—Essential Oils 102

In my previous article about essential oils I addressed some of the scientific reasons why essential oils work on our body. Today I’m going to continue that bit of information and also address how best to use essential oils.

First of all, I think I should make it clear that essential oils are not oils at all.  They are simply the extraction of a cold expeller process (which IS commonly used for extracting oils.) But essential oils—if they are pure and haven’t been contaminated by cutting in other ingredients such as genuine oils—should not leave a stain on your clothes, clog up your humidifier, waterfall, etc.  I’m not sure who the person was who started using the “oil” terminology, but the term oil is misleading in this case. Mind you, the contents in a pure essential oil are not the same consistency as water. Most weigh more than water, actually.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Food Part IV Nutrition Insurance

by Kellene

So, what do you do when you feel like your food supply isn’t nutritional enough, too expensive, too tenable, and at risk of being in short supply? You take matters into your own hands.

To me, this is a large reason why I make sure I have a long-lasting amount of food in my pantry at all times. My mind is more aware of these kinds of imminent interruptions and inconveniences to my food acquisition than it is with the possibility of a catastrophic earthquake, which is why I took so much time to present such a case for such everyday possibilities.  Fortunately, we still have a LARGE number of ways to ensure we still stay in control of our food quality and prices.

By Preparedness Pro, ago
Food

Food Part III: Nutritional Compromise

by Kellene

FoodIn the last two segments in this series on Food, I’ve attempted to address our vulnerable reliance on our world’s food supply. When there is a shortage, we pay for it dearly. When a great deal of products are reliant upon one particular crop, we give away much of our freedom as well.  When the core of our habits for feeding and enjoying are based on a particular product, we are also subjected to the price demands which come with such dependence.  I’m sure that many of you remember how difficult it was to adjust our monthly budgets to meet the drastic increase in fuel prices.  Not long after that shock, over 70% of all credit card holders had their minimum payments on their credit cards increase substantially.  Thus far I’ve addressed the availability and the cost of our foods due to our system at present and how our preparedness efforts can counteract such unpleasant realities.  Today, I believe I’m addressing an even more important aspect of food though—it’s compromised nutrition.

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

Vital Bread Making Tips

breadWhile the topic may sound a bit “ho hum” I assure you that if you’ve ever made bread—successfully or not—you will benefit from this these vital bread making tips.

Last night I took a little “me time” and attended a bread making class. I love to see how other folks do things and I always hope to learn something to “sharpen my saw” along the way as well.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Prepare Spiritually, Mentally and Physically

Recently we posted the Ten Components of Emergency Preparedness.  There’s a reason these ten components are in the order that they are.  It’s not about ease or difficulty of storage or preparation.  It’s about what you can and can’t fix down the road when an emergency arrives.  Allow me to explain.

[caption id="attachment_1338" align="alignright" width="169" caption="Prepare Physically. Photo c/o thesealquest.com"]Prepare Physically. Photo c/o thesealquest.com[/caption]

The top three areas of preparedness on the list of ten components of emergency preparedness are preparing spiritually, mentally and physically.  Whatever level of preparedness you possess when an emergency happens, that’s what you have to work with.  It’s not like you’ll be able to go and read 30 preparedness books when a disaster strikes and immediately be up-to-speed.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 7 of 8

No, You’re Not Crazy

[caption id="attachment_1253" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Do you have a skeptical spouse? "]Do you have a skeptical spouse? [/caption]

How to influence that skeptical spouse when it comes to emergency preparedness efforts is a query I hear frequently in my line of work.  I affectionately call it the “$64 million dollar question.”  Surprisingly, the question isn’t dominated by one particular sex or the other, either.  I guess both men and women are equally skeptical when it comes to this topic.  Obviously, it is tough to have one member of the family focused on something so important without the support of knowledge, enthusiasm and additional expertise from the other.  Being on the same page for this sort of thing boils

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Fuel for an Emergency

[caption id="attachment_1035" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Fuel photo c/o pgdb.co.nz"]Fuel photo c/o pgdb.co.nz[/caption] One of the ten areas of emergency preparedness is fuel.  Fuel brings us the much needed light that we will require not only to see, but also to feel good.  It includes any fuel we’ll need for cooking, and the fuel we’ll need for keeping warm. Before you elect to get a years supply of fuel for these purposes, consider

By Preparedness Pro, ago

You Don’t Have To Waste Your Food Storage Money

waste-food-storage-moneyThere’s nothing sadder to me than when I see someone who’s finally started taking steps to build up their food storage, only to hear that they’ve wasted tons of money by having to throw food out.  I see folks buy foods regularly without being mindful of the best way to store it.  More unfortunate is that folks are throwing away perfectly good grains when there’s no need to.  The good news is that you don’t have to waste your food storage money this way.  I’m going to show you how to maximize every precious buck!  This article is to help you understand how NOT to waste all of that hard work and food storage money.

By Preparedness Pro, ago