Living Life in Rural Iowa

I am going to preface this post today for you. I wrote this about four months ago. I have sat on this post since then. I am usually a pretty positive, fairly practical person. Not much really gets me down on a normal day. However, the state of our economy along with the financial situations of a good deal of Americans have gotten me fairly worried with a good dose of being angry.

This is me being angry after receiving my paycheck one day and realizing that between bills and groceries, there would be very little left over for anything else. I don't blame my employer for this. I consider them a fair employer who pays me fairly for my level of work. I actually enjoy my job, but enough is enough.

You have all heard the phrase, "Every day you can get up, go to work, and pay your bills is a good day" (or something like that). I suppose that is true, but wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to pay bills or work incredibly hard just to pay them?

Most people with a family…

When you first start prepping, you become a little bit obsessed about obtaining your preps. You never know when you will need it, but you think you need to build up your stockpiles rather quickly.

I thought I needed to get my stockpile built as soon as possible and as much as the budget allowed! However, I couldn't just throw money at my stockpile. I didn't have a lot of extra money left over at the end of the paycheck to spend like a lottery winner. I needed to be smart with my money - down to the last penny.

I want to share with you how I built my stockpile quickly and frugally while still paying all my bills. These are still the same techniques I use to maintain and further build up my stockpile. This covers mostly my food stockpiles, but I did use some of these techniques for my non-perishable stockpiles too.

8 Ways To Quickly and Frugally Build Up Your Food Stockpiles and Pantry

1. The Grocery Store. This is the first and best way I have added to my stockpiles. I used to be a…

Most people use their vehicles a lot. If you live in a rural area, it is your main transportation to anywhere. If you have kids that drive, you have vehicles going at all times of the day.

That being said, there are certain things you should always have in your vehicle. Whether you are a prepper or not, you should always be prepared for emergencies with your vehicle. You could leave home and run into bad weather. You could be stuck on the side of the road with a broken down car or the weather is so bad you can't see.

The following list of items are things I regularly use, couldn't live without, and have found myself needing when something goes wrong. I am actually surprised that people do not have them in their vehicles and just think that AAA or their paid roadside service can save them. Not every place in this fine country gets cell service...

10 Things You Should Always Have in Your Car

1. Jumper cables. This is an absolute must-have in a vehicle. I have jumped vehicles who own…

Are you stocking up because you need it or because you want it? Do you really need it? How much of it will you use? How important is this item? Should you be spending your money elsewhere?

So many questions.

Stockpiling can seem so easy and so hard all at the same time. You know you should stock up on the necessities, but what are the necessities?

The necessities really depend on what you are preparing for. You may be worried about just short term events which would make your preparations look differently than your long term events. You may be just preparing for weather events as opposed to job loss. You may be preparing for a long term grid down situation.

If you are preparing for short term events (weather, etc.), your list may look like this:
Water (3 gallons per day per person)Food that can be easily eaten or heated (1500-2000 calories per day per person)Matches and lightersCandlesFlashlights and lanternsCamp stove and fuel (usually propane)Charcoal for the grill or fire pitPropane cyl…

Soap is a necessary and good thing to have in your preps and stockpiles. You need it to stay clean, hygienic, and safe to be around. Soap gets rid of germs, body odor, and more. You keep your clothes clean, dishes clean, and sanitize counters, floors, and more with it. 

Soap can mean the difference between life or death, literally, in a grid-down and disastrous situation. If you can keep yourself clean and your area clean in this kind of situation, you will not be as susceptible to germs or bacteria that can creep into your system. 

In terms of stockpiling, soap should be after food, water, and light/warmth. You need to have it.

What kinds of soap should you be stockpiling though? That just depends on your preferences and your habits. You know what you use and that is what you should be having on hand. I have ten kinds of soap I like to stockpile at all times. This is what I and my family use all the time or will use if need be.

These are the 10 kinds of soap I like to stockpile for mysel…