Category Archives: Other Contributers

Momma Bear: Home-Made Reusable Sanitary Napkins

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Just because the SHTF, the monthly cycle will still continue. Sooooooo… what are the ladies in your family going to use for their long-term feminine hygiene needs? Sure, you can stockpile a lifetime worth of sanitary napkins, but what are you going to do with the used ones? They do not compost, and because they are both plastic and filled with blood borne pathogens, you cannot burn them. It is a much better idea to have something reusable ready. So what the heck does that mean???

I found two options: First is something called a “menstrual cup” which comes in both a disposable and reusable form. I am sure from the name you have an idea of what it does, but I had never heard of it before. Ladies can research for themselves to see if that is something they would like to try.

The second option is the old school idea of reusable/washable sanitary napkins. What I was amazed to find out is that people are making these already and selling them on ebay, and other crafting websites, for a RIDICULOUS amount of money (around $10 for one washable pad)! I am here to tell you that anyone with a sewing machine or the patience to hand sew can make their own for a fraction of the cost. They can also be made by recycling old towels and flannel sheets, thus reducing your cost to nothing but thread and labor.

I recently sat down my 13 year-old daughter and broke the “reusable pads” idea to her. It was a great teaching opportunity. I started with a simple question and answer; asking her what she thought ladies did back before plastics, mass manufacturing, and easy access to stores. I explained that if there was a true emergency, resulting in a long-term power outage, we had to go with something washable. I was surprised that she was so open to the idea. So we hit the internet and found Tipnut.com, it’s a great site with MANY different kinds of tutorials on making sanitary napkins.

Because we don’t have surplus flannel sheets, we opted to hit up Wally world for some fabrics. We picked out some nice flannel for close to our skin (a yard for each of us) and something thick, fluffy, and cotton for the inner layers (three yards for the two of us). You can see from the photos that we are using the basic “wings” style pad with a snap for the underside. These are a two-part napkin consisting of the outer “liner” and then an inner “pad” for absorption. Although we used a pattern off the internet, you can just as easily trace what you have in the cupboard.

First, we made copies of our pattern and compared them to the store-bought stuff. In this case the top layer of the liner is one solid piece with wings, and then there are two bottom layers which are about 2/3 of the top pattern each with one wing. This is so that those two pieces (on the bottom) will overlap, allowing you to insert your inner absorption pad. These top/bottom layers are stitched together with the flannel (fuzzy sides) facing each other, then they are turned right side out, ironed, then overstitched again all around the edges. I also stitched an extra line around the pad area, to provide a crease point right about where the wings flip down, thus ensuring the pad wont slip around. Last, we added snaps to the wings.

After sewing all the liners we made the pads. These are anywhere from two to four layers of padding just sewn all together to make a firm rectangular pad. These are the interchangeable inner pads (this would be towelling or absorbent fabric) that are made in different thicknesses for the different levels of flow (*in the photo the opening to insert the inner padding is face up, but this would normally be face down toward the inside of the panty). While we opted for removable inner pads, there is no reason why you couldn’t just make them part of the liner and stitch the whole thing together. We just liked the idea that we could add more pads or take them apart for a more thorough washing. Because of the snaps these are foldable into little square packets for easy storage.

I personally do not sew on a regular basis and found curvy type napkins difficult to make, hence ours look kind of rectangular. I will also caution any novice sewers to make sure they wash and iron their fabrics, before beginning this project, because cotton shrinks. I have to admit that I had trouble with that stupid “snap kit” (and I lost my patience); instead opting to hand sew old school snaps on. Also of mention, we made multiple sized pads because 13 year olds and moms don’t necessarily use the same size of anything. I think in total we spent $23 on fabric and snaps and made ten liners for each of us and 30+ inner pads of different thicknesses. This was a pretty simple project over all that anyone can make.  No insanity required.

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

Trace’s Note: Be sure to also read our follow up posts by Sierra Kate: Reusables, Self-Reliance & Feminine Hygiene Part  1- Options, and Part 2 – How Do They Perform?

Sarah’s View: The Disaster I See

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In high school I was introduced to a book that changed my life and provided me with a foundation to accept the concept of prepping when Trace introduced it. That book was Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Quinn was able to hit a nerve in my subconscious and explain the world, “our” culture, in such a way that – for a split second – I felt like I “got it”. Of course, as is the case with many such occurrences the feeling of “got it” was fleeting and life went on as normal. I went off to college and there, while studying Anthropology, returned to Ishmael and Quinn’s other books. I don’t know if I enjoyed my Anthropology classes more because of Daniel Quinn or if I enjoyed, and understood, his ideas because of Anthropology. Regardless, they were very complementary.

But what, exactly, does all of this have to do with disasters? or with prepping?

While the story of the boiling frog is, unfortunately, scientifically inaccurate, it still provides an excellent illustration for the concept of a slow, and therefore unnoticed, deterioration or destruction. We are the frog, simmering away in the belief that the world was meant for humans and that we are living – finally – as humans were meant to live. But, humans lived for millions of years as ‘part of the world’. Then, something changed and we started thinking that instead of being a part of the world, the world was meant for us and could – no should – be molded to our will. Quinn proposes that change was agriculture and, more specifically, putting food under lock and key, thereby allowing for larger and more concentrated populations but also introducing a cultural control mechanism in food and other resources.

Honestly, at this point, I don’t think it really matters what caused the change; what matters is to recognize the issue with this “new” mindset.

Humans live as if we are alone on this planet – utlizing resources without regard for what happens tomorrow, or in a month, or a year from now, when there is none left. As Quinn says in Ishmael, “I have amazing news for you. Man is not alone on this planet. He is part of a community, upon which he depends absolutely.” We have forgotten that we depend on everything – water, fuel, plants, animals…

And, I bring us back to prepping. As a group I believe preppers intrinsically understand how much humanity depends on the rapidly depleting resources. The disaster I see is that too few people have recognized this early enough for the world to continue as we know it.

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

Momma Bear’s April Preps

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April has been an unusual prepping month for us. The unseasonably warm spring in Virginia has been joined by some dry weather (sad face as I drag the hoses around the yard). The gardening is a huge, HUGE learning curve. This month I did manage to buy four 55-gallon pickle barrels and twenty 5-gallon buckets for ridiculously great prices (though the smell was terrible!). Two of the barrels are already composting on a new rack in my back yard; next I’ll focus on a rain barrel. I woke up one morning and discovered long white cat hair in place of all the leaves on our tomato and pansy seedlings. So rather than starting over, we sucked it up and bought heirloom tomatoes from the nursery, not hybrids, so that we can harvest seeds when we are finished. We also discovered that something has been eating our beautiful little blueberry bush so we had to make a cage around that. Currently we have lettuce, radishes, cilantro, sunflowers, onions and chives all making their first appearance in the various garden spots and planters. We are very happy so far!

Food storage is always on my mind when I prep. We stored another two weeks of food supplies in mylar, after adding sprouting beans to our stores. Having lived in Asia, mung beans (long bean sprouts) are our favored sprout. I buy mine at the international food store where they are super cheap and there is a big selection. I cannot tell you how great sprouts are as a secondary fresh food source in a SHTF scenario, especially since they are grown indoors in just a jar. I also recently got a second vacuum sealer attachment for my food sealer (now I have both sizes). I learned two things this month about vacuum sealing jars, 1) The jar of my husband’s favorite pickles can be resealed with the attachment (an additional source of jars/lids for things that don’t have to be “canned”), and 2) You can vacuum seal lids by using the Ziplock brand handpump over the Foodsaver jar attachment (see photo). Although with non-canning type jars, because the lids are harder to release once sealed, it is best to poke a pinhole in the lid and seal it with electric tape, then simply pull up the tape when you want to release the seal. In this case I am using the jars for seed vaults since the jars still smell like pickles (I think it’s the lids). I also managed to pick up almost three cases of mason jars in assorted sizes for $10 at a yard sale. I treated the family to a “beans night” which they survived. I am trying to incorporate more beans into our diet and try more recipes since it is the ultimate survival food. Half of us like beans, half don’t and this night was no different food (we love rice though!). In this instance I made northern beans in the crock-pot, with leftover ham/bone from Easter, and then threw in spinach at the end so it was like a soup (but a completely balanced meal since I used so much spinach). Here is the recipe link.

Our last area of preparedness for April was our taxes and a house refinancing (we also amended a couple of years of returns as well which were caught by our new tax professional). Because it was our first year in the house we were able to claim a lot of expenses and will get a nice tax return, which in turn will go toward credit debt. Because finances are a tough area for us, we pay to use a tax service that comes with one of those “previous year audits” and insurance to reimburse us for any of their mistakes that result in us making payments to the IRS. We balance the expense of using a preparation service against the peace of mind that it was done properly. We also were able to refinance the house (after only one year), reducing both our interest rate and our monthly payment. This was a tough decision for us since we are not the most financially minded people on the planet, but we’re trying to learn.

How did your preps go this month?

(Monday: DIY Indoor Grow Box)

The City Cousin: Making A Plan

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Contributed by Shawn (aka The City Cousin)
(Shawn is writing a series of posts about prepping in an urban environment.)
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If your car’s tank is almost always near empty, or you are constantly running out of toilet paper, shampoo, milk, etc. then you are not a natural prepper! Fret not, few of us are. As with many skills and mind sets, most have to be learned. Here are some experiences that motivated me, and a system I’ve developed to become better prepared.

I was living in Seattle, in 2001, during the Nisqually earthquake (a 6.8 quake that lasted 45 long seconds). After the initial quake ended, I immediately called my parents to let them know I was okay. Then, I knew we still had electricity because the TV was  on; I checked that I had running water and then filled the bathtub; I checked my apartment and then the building for damage; I moved my truck out of the garage, under my building, and parked it where nothing would fall on it if there were more quakes. All good initial reactions to an earthquake, but how did I plan afterward to be better prepared for the next time? What had I learned? To be honest I didn’t do anything. I felt good, and rather smug, about my actions and resourcefulness after the Nisqually quake. But, I wasn’t really prepared for what COULD HAVE happened.

It wasn’t until I saw the pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, in 2005, that I recognized I have to be prepared for a big disaster and for at least the ‘FEMA suggested’ 72 hours. And, after seeing how FEMA and the military responded in New Orleans–a city that is located much closer to government resources than Seattle–I decided I needed to be personally prepared to handle things for a minimum of five to seven days before outside help will likely arrive to the city.

So my project management experience kicked in and I developed a chart to help guide a household discussion to prepare for likely perils. I again focused on my journalism questions of Who, What, Where, When, and How.

Prepare Short Term (72 hours) Medium Term (6 Months) Long Term (over 6 Months)
Who You, your immediate family, significant others. Condo/homeowners association, neighbors. Neighborhood (consider becoming an advocate for your local government.)
What Select the perils that might affect you: earthquake, flood, tornado, etc. After prioritizing the perils you want to address, prepare for the first one. Then expand to cover the remaining perils. Review what you’re preparing for, have things changed?
Where Preparing your home and/or car(s).  Consider alternative locations. Determine meeting points in case you and your family are separated. You might focus on your home first for the initial 72+ hours then on your car or alternative locations. Develop alternative location(s).
When Set a start date and end date for each Term’s goals.  Costs and preparation for longer term goals can be researched and set. More expensive items can be budgeted for and a priority list  can be developed for when to get them. Set up an annual/regular review to make sure everything is current in your preparations, i.e. check batteries, rotate food and water.
How Research! Read, take classes, use the internet.  For this section one of my favorite online resources is 72hours.org. How also plays into when depending on cost and time needed to prep. Continue learning. Stay informed. Network with others. Review new information.

This is a great exercise for a household of any size to get organized and take the first steps, or for reviewing what you’ve done, or confirming you’re on the right road with your preparations. This discussion will help everyone have input and feel involved (the “buy- in” to the project), and tasks can be assigned based on age and experience. Make lists and write down your goals; studies have shown, when we write things down we are more likely to remember and act on them. Once we have a plan in place, and we know which road we’re taking, we can get prepared.

Next month: I will discuss what I have in my apartment to prepare for the perils I have identified, some of the resources I’ve tapped, and how and where you can store things with limited space.

The City Cousin’s Bio
I come by prepping by growing up watching the example my father set; he was always prepared for whatever situation would arise. Now, as a single man living and working in Seattle, I have opted to live near downtown in a small apartment. For me this is a comfortable space; trying to be “green” it has reduced my use of resources from electricity to gas for my truck. With limited space, I have reviewed what I can reasonably be prepared for in my urban environment.

(Friday: Momma Bear’s April Preps)

Momma Bear: Getting Out of Dodge B.Y.O.B.O.B.

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Bring Your Own Bug Out Bag – How Our Family Did It
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For most preppers, the first baby step we take is to create a bug out bag (BOB). For our family, living outside of Washington DC and very close to the interstate (which is sure to be packed instantly); with the potential bug-out being done without my active-duty husband, we took this step very seriously. Although my husband likes to travel light in the field (with the military), the BOB has to encompass a plethora of unknowns; with a 72-hour usage as the goal for packing. How much water should we take and how much water purification? How much gear should we plan for sleeping rough? How much food do we want to carry? What if it’s cold? What might we need along the route? The list pretty much goes on and on. And with everything, as we practice our drills, we tweak and adjust the items in the BOBs.

But once you accumulate all that STUFF, how do you divide it up between your family members? How do you ensure that each pack is sufficient should you become separated from the rest of the family? With my husband included, we have two men in the family. But us girls… we are kind of wimpy backpackers. Our daughter may be 5’7” tall, but she only weighs 100 pounds on a good day. So we have had to keep the girls’ gear lighter, packs smaller, but still able to meet our needs. We opted not to carry sleeping bags, but instead have military poncho liners and also the foil emergency bevy sack. The heavier items, that were not quite as essential, were distributed between my husband and my son. For instance, do we need a tent on the go? Not really, but life is a heck of a lot nicer in a rainstorm when you have more than a poncho for cover. And my husband can certainly shoulder that extra weight a lot easier than one of us girls can.

Other things that we customized in our bags were the first aid kits, the food items (curse those picky eaters who refuse to eat tuna!), and the quanity of fire making materials for each family member. For instance, our daughter suffers terrible migraines so her kit has special meds in it, plus sunglasses. Our son is allergic to insect bites so he has insect repellent, Benadryl, and cortisone cream. With the meds, I broke them down into tiny little baggies and wrote the directions on the outside with sharpie marker, including how often they should take the meds. And because our kids have only recently begun practicing fire making, they both carry lots of matches, lighters, a magnesium starter, as well as a ton of lint and other light-weight combustibles.

Having a Marine for a husband has assuredly made the BOBs an easier task. Some things I had never considered, or would not have considered as a huge necessity, such as laminating our maps. In case the SHTF, we are looking to move south, away from D.C. We have maps of both Virginia and North Carolina, that we got for free at the visitor centers on the main interstate, and each of us has one in their BOB (kids included). The other thing that the military training helped with was packing the packs. The military utilizes packs with lots of pockets and my husband was positively insistent that certain things go in those easy access pockets: first aid, water, food, weapons/tools. Other things, especially stuff you have multiples of, is removed from the BOB and carried on your person: identification, weapon, fire making items, any item that you could not do without (like migraine meds). Our family utilizes three different types of packs, so when we loaded them up everyone was responsible for their own; that way everyone knows where there things are. And, of course, we regularly break them down and repack them to keep familiar with the gear.

Our household also has pets, which we have not been taking into consideration for bugging out. Unless we are driving out, the cats will pretty much be left to their own devices, but the dogs will go. It is pretty unrealistic to think that we can carry enough food and water for them too, so we are looking to put them to work for us. All of our dogs are pretty good walkers (we have Jack Russells and Weimaraners), and we are looking to train the big dogs in both pack carrying and carting. But I will post about that another time.

Like all our prepping, creating your BOB. requires good planning. Again, a good BOB is designed for 72 hours of mobile usage – getting you away from a SHTF scenario. Focus on who, what and why. Who is the bag for? What do they need? And why do they need that particular item? Last of all, practice walking with your pack and readjust your items/bag as necessary. You want to be well prepared to survive, but you don’t want to break your back because you brought the kitchen sink with you. Happy prepping!

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

Sarah’s View: DIY Potato Box

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This weekend, with the beautiful weather we had here, Trace and I decided to work on some of our outdoor projects. I was able to build my potato box (in one day) and asked Trace if I could share the results, on our blog, sooner rather than later!

This year will be our first year growing potatoes. As we understand the way potatoes grow, they need soil added as the plant grows bigger to further stimulate production. Many people choose to simply mound the dirt around their plants or use old tires for their potato ‘frame’. However, years ago (before Trace) I saw a design for a ‘potato box’ that allows the grower to harvest the baby (or new) potatoes throughout the growing season.

We had already bought all the materials needed: one treated 2x4x12 and ten 1x6x6 boards (actually fence slats).

We pulled out the power tools – my dad’s mitre saw (which now ‘lives’ at our house) and the drills (plural because, if you have two, you don’t have to switch bits between the pre-drilling and the screwing in of the screws) – and, after quick review on how to use each, I got started (I’d used drills before, but not the saw).

My first step was to cut the 2x4x12 into four 33-inch pieces. These will be the upright corner posts. (A handy tip from Trace: measure from the end for each cut, that way you don’t lose the width of the saw blade from your cut). I then cut the 1x6s into twenty 24-inch pieces.

Next, I attached four 1x6s across the upright 2x4s to form the bottom frame into a square.

Originally I’d intended to build up just two layers of boards, leaving the rest to be added as dirt was piled onto the growing potatoes. I realized, however, that there was no reason not to build three sides up completely and only have one unfinished/working side. The first side went slowly as I lined up each board, pre-drilled the holes and then attached them. The second and third sides went much faster as I got used to the tools and the box gained more and more stability.

The fourth side boards will be attached as we add dirt. These will be attached with only one screw on each side, for easy removal, with the intention of harvesting the potatoes at the bottom of the box early, while allowing the rest to continue to grow.

We placed the three-sided box at the corner of our garden, where sun will hit the open side and we had some good dirt. I planted the seed potatoes–Kennebec and Red Pontiac–and hopefully, fingers crossed, we’re good to go for this year’s potato crop.

(Wednesday: Momma Bear)

 

Sarah’s View: A Prepper’s Budget

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by Sarah Adams -

How To Have A Balanced Household Budget Every Month

Trace regularly refers to me as our family’s Chief Financial Officer, and that I “control” the finances. Actually, we do our overall budgeting and planning together; I simply take care of the day-to-day bills as well as maintain our financial spreadsheets (aka all the work).

For various reasons we both came to the relationship with more debt than either of us liked. However, early on in our marriage we agreed that a mutual goal was to be debt-free. I wanted the peace of mind of not constantly playing catch-up and Trace felt like getting out of debt should be a primary goal for any prepper. In the beginning we tried to save, tried to pay down debt, but we struggled without a concrete strategy and plan. Then, about 18 months ago, a good friend of mine introduced me to Dave Ramsey and his “Seven Baby Steps”. I really liked his “debt snowball”; it inherently made sense to me. In addition, his concept of spending money “on paper and on purpose” helped give me some focus on how we could move forward. From there I read more about zero-based budgeting.

Since December 2010 we have created a zero-based budget every month. I start with our joint income and assign each dollar a “job”. Before the month even starts we have “pre-spent” every dollar we are going to make. It sounds a bit scary, even a bit controlling, to budget this way but to tell you the truth it is completely freeing. When we go to the grocery store we know exactly how much is available for the month; we can spend it all the first week or spread it out over a couple of trips. There’s no worrying about whether the funds are available or not – they ARE, this is their job!

Even better, you can plan for fun too. Last year, when we had a family trip scheduled, I started budgeting a couple of hundred dollars into a vacation fund each month. By the time we took our trip we had plenty of money set aside, allowing us to play while not worrying whether we’d be able to pay the bills when we got home. It was one of the most relaxing trips, money-wise, that I’ve ever taken.

Instead of feeling restrictive, budgeting this way has allowed us to do and buy things that otherwise might not have been possible. We’re building a greenhouse this spring. Last month we assigned some money for it; turns out that didn’t quite cover the full cost so this month we’ve assigned a bit more. Trace wants to build a rabbit hutch; I’ve got it on the list to add to the May budget. It may mean we allocate less to Costco or entertainment or somewhere else, but because we both review the plan each month and talk about our desired expenditures, it works out well.

The other strategy that we both like is to use cash as much as possible. I do pay most of our bills online, but other than those and buying gas, most of our expenses are paid with cash. Instead of the traditional envelope system, I use a receipt folder; each slot is for a different category (Haircuts, Groceries, Costco, etc.) and I put the total amount budgeted for each category in the proper slot at the beginning of the month. We’ve both found it’s a lot harder to hand over five $20s than it is to hand over a debit card. Each purchase is that much more deliberate. And, from a prepper point of view, this means we always have cash on us in case of a disaster (i.e. the power is out at the gas station, you can still pump gas, but they will only take cash, allowing us to fill up if necessary).

Money is a tough topic for many. When we don’t have enough it’s scary and when we have plenty, well, no one wants to hear about that! Trace and I have found that working as a team to plan, budget, and spend has made money simply another prepping resource.

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

My wife Sarah writes, from a prepper’s wife’s point of view, ‘Sarah’s View’ the second Wednesday of each month (see her bio, and the posts she’s written, on the Guest Contributors page).

Momma Bear’s March Preps

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Aside from the usual slow and steady food, water and medical supply preps, here is what we did this month:

  • Our primary focus has been on preparing our garden areas and planting seeds. This is our first year planting, so it’s been quite an adventure!
  • Cleaned up our old tents and practiced setting up/tearing down. And created two camping gear “go boxes” to include tents, camp stoves, camp showers, etc.
  • Studied up about dog “carting” which is the idea of having one or both of our large dogs pull a good-sized garden cart with supplies in it (I am looking at the canvas garden cart at Costco). This has become a future project that we might try this summer.
  • Created a secondary food storage location at my mom’s house, one state/six hours away. This is our primary bug-out location until we can purchase property.
  • Laminated four state maps for the go bags. I got these free at the state visitor’s center on the interstate. I folded them in half before laminating to cut down on their size.
  • Read, or skimmed, 13 library books about gardening and homesteading. Ordered Guide to Virginia Vegetable Gardening as an addition to our prepping library.

Overall it has been a pretty steady month for prepping and we have had a lot of fun gardening in the unseasonably warm weather here in Virginia.

What did you do?

(Monday: “I’ll Figure It Out If/When I Need To”)

The City Cousin: A Different Perspective On Prepping

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“Yes, Preppers Should Have Insurance Policies.”

Contributed by Shawn (aka The City Cousin)
(Shawn will be writing a series of posts about prepping in an urban environment.)

I’ve had a varied background, career wise, over the past forty years. My first job, after graduating from college, was as a Welfare Fraud Investigator for the State of Utah. This hadn’t been my plan. Initially I was in a prelaw program via a political science major, then two quarters before graduation, I changed my major to Spanish as I was offered a Teaching Fellowship in the Language Department. My goal was to attend grad school and become a Spanish professor. Unfortunately, this is when quotas were first being developed for racial and gender balance in organizations. I saw the handwriting on the wall (not being a Latino or a woman) that future job prospects in that field would be minimal, so I started interviewing for any job. Which brought me to two conclusions that I’ve found to be true: first, if you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which road you take; and second, journalism classes do pay off.

In the interview for the welfare investigator position I was asked what I felt was needed to prepare a good investigation summary. I flipped through my ‘mental rolodex’ (for those of you under 30, a rolodex is a round file that we used for phone numbers, addresses, etc. Google it and you will be amused at that technology) and came up with those questions any article should answer: Who, What, Where, When and How. I got the job.

When I started thinking about getting more prepared, I began with a list of perils and what I needed to do to prepare for them. Then I applied my questions: Who, What, Where, When and How. Living in Seattle we have some unique perils, as well the perils we all face.

Peril is an insurance term which describes those events or risks a policy covers (yep, I worked for an insurance company along the way as well). I believe, since fortunately most perils are not catastrophic in nature, all preppers should begin with good insurance coverage. I realize this is a different approach to prepping. But a homeowners/renters policy provides (prepares) us with coverage for the perils of fire, theft, wind damage, lightning strikes, etc. It has liability coverage, which covers you in the event someone is injured on your premises, or sues you for libel/slander. There is also coverage for ‘loss of use of premises’, which covers temporary housing and living expenses. As a prepper, take the time and make sure you understand what your insurance policy covers, as the perils and benefits depend on your state, your insurance company, and policy type. Earthquake and earth slides tend to be coverage you have to add to your standard policy. Flood insurance is purchased through the federal government. Insurance works as a tool to manage risks by transferring to the insurance company coverage for a loss; your deductible is the risk you are willing to cover in a loss (the higher the deductible the more of the risk you assume).

Prepping is another form of insurance, and perils is another word for disasters. So what are the perils I have defined and, other than having adequate insurance, what have I done to prepare for them? Living alone, in a 500 square foot one bedroom apartment, it can be an interesting process. Next month I will share with you what I have come up with and the resources I’ve used. With preparation we define the road we are taking and we know where we are going.

The City Cousin’s Bio
I come by prepping by growing up watching the example my father set; he was always prepared for whatever situation would arise. Now, as a single man living and working in Seattle, I have opted to live near downtown in a small apartment. For me this is a comfortable space; trying to be “green” it has reduced my use of resources from electricity to gas for my truck. With limited space, I have reviewed what I can reasonably be prepared for in my urban environment.

(Friday: Momma Bear’s March Preps, instead of my weekly summary the last Friday of each month Momma Bear will sum up what she and her family did that month to prep.)

Momma Bear: An Inexpensive Water Filter System

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“Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.”  -Nelson Mandela

When I first became a prepper, I found the idea of water purification, and the expense of the many different purifiers on the market, to be a little overwhelming. When preparing for any disaster or grid-down scenario, it is imperative that each and every one of us know as many ways as possible to purify water. In our BOBs we carry both purification tablets and filters that attach to the end of our Nalgene water bottle straws. But, for mass water purification, it seems like there is no way to get clean water on the cheap except for bleach. In a perfect world we would all be rich enough to afford the best preps available, but this is the real world and I was a little depressed by the expense of water purifiers. But then I accidentally ran across Waves for Water.

Waves for Water is a non-profit organization, spear-headed by professional surfers and supported by the surf company Hurley International, that provides water filters to those in need. Their goal is to bring clean drinking water (filters) to as many people as possible, primarily distributed by surfers bringing the filters to the third world nations in which they are surfing. It is a rather unique grass roots effort and I applaud them for it. The extra cool thing (in my opinion) is that they sell these filters to anyone, hoping that you will take some with you as a donation on your next vacation to a third world county.

Waves for Water’s primary “family sized” filter is a silver-impregnated ceramic filter, meeting NSF standards (they also have a “community size” filter). I will not go into the specific statistics of its filtration such as microns and gallons and such (please see their website). But I will say that I was satisfied enough that I bought my filter for the low price of $25 (I think the shipping was like $12-15 though)! At this point I only have the one, but will be adding more as I balance out my preps (since we all know that building up our resources takes time and money).

The filter itself is designed for the two bucket stacking method that many people use with the Berkey filters. It comes with the filter, a pre-filter sock, the spigot for the bottom bucket, and directions. There are also extensive directions and a video on the website. Like the other setups of this kind, it only took a couple of drill bits, two food safe buckets with lids, and I was in the water filtering business.

This method is a slow filtering method designed for at home use. It is NOT an emergency style filtering device for use on the go. It was an inexpensive opportunity for my family to be able to have clean drinking water while also contributing to a grass-roots effort to bring water to those in need. I recognize that there are many other water filtration methods available out there, some that might not be generally heard of. If you know of others, I would love to learn more.

What filtration method do you use?

(Friday: What We Did This Week To Prep)

Leah writes as ‘Momma Bear‘ from the perspective of the woman in the family being the main prepper (her husband is active-duty USMC and frequently gone). She is a regular contributer with her posts appearing the third Wednesday of each month. See her other post: Momma Bear Is The Prepper.