Knowledge Weighs Nothing

How To Buy A Shipping Container

shippingcontainer

Due to TV shows such as Doomsday Preppers and Armageddon Outfitters etc, there has been a huge boom in the sale of used shipping containers. Preppers everywhere are snapping them up and burying them in their backyards… Problem is the used shipping container companies have cottoned on to this and the price for a used shipping container has now gone through the roof.

Below is an excellent tutorial which explains how to go about purchasing a used shipping container.  There is loads of advice on regulations, which types of containers to consider etc. Best of all there are a couple of tricks listed that can enable you to get a jump on the competition and bag a shipping container on the cheap. Click the link below to find out more…

How To Buy A Shipping Container (incl tricks for finding cheap containers)

(Image from: Wikipedia)

Tiny House Plans Free To Download & Print | 8 Tiny House Blueprints

Free tiny house plans
Tiny houses and DIY sheds and cabins are really popular right now. They are so affordable to build (or buy), they take up so little space, and they are so adaptable. Some folks live in them 24/7 whilst others use them for guest accommodation or workshops and home offices etc.

There are many PAID DIY build plans out there, but if you are on a budget there’s no need to have to pay for plans. You can get a selection of free tiny house blueprint plans down below. There are 7 free tiny house plans available, although the newest one at the top of the page requires you to sign up to the newsletter to get it, but that is no hardship really to bag some quality free PDF tiny house blueprints.

There are some great downloadable and printable PDF floor plans here.  There are a few basic free tiny house plans, some static and some on wheels, but there is also a nice homesteader’s house plan and a solar house plan, with the tiny solar house designed to be lived in full-time. Whether it is for your accommodation, guest accommodation, an outside office, or even just a shed/workshop, building one of these yourself will give you great satisfaction and save you money a ton of money. Check out the 7 tiny house plans free to download here.

Below is another free tiny house plan!

Free Tiny House Plan – Cottage Style Plan

Free tiny house plan

You can print out the tiny house blueprint below.

This wood cabin is 8 foot by 13.6 foot, which gives you 108 feet of living space. Many local authorities don’t require a building permit for structures less than 108 feet, so you should be able to build this cabin without a building permit.  That said, be sure to double check with your local authority first! This wood cabin would be great for guest accommodation, or perhaps even a secret, get-away-from-it-all cabin in the woods. Get this tiny house plan free to download and print out here: Free Cottage Style Wood Cabin Plans.

Amazing Mobile Hot Tub Tiny House – You’ve Got To See This!

Hot tub tiny house

Ok so this doesn’t contain the build plans, but that’s why the post is titled – 8 Tiny House Plans Free To Download & Print In PDF (rather than 9!) – This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen, a tiny house with a hot tub, built on a trailer for easy transportation. It’s also absolutely stunning inside and out.

This tiny house is owned by Tinywood Homes, and if you live in the UK (or you are visiting), you can actually stay in this awesome little house, as it is one of several tiny wooden built houses they have for holiday rental. Even if you are not going to stay there, I highly recommend checking out the additional photos of this and the other awesome tiny houses they have for rental. See here: Amazing Mobile Hot Tub Tiny House – You’ve Got To See This!

(Image from: TinyWoodHomes.com & Nicolás Boullosa)

Simple PVC Tube Homemade Squirrel Trap

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This PVC tube homemade squirrel trap is useful for getting rid of pest squirrels and also for trapping wild squirrels for food. This trap is humane, in that it doesn’t kill or harm the squirrel once caught (providing you check it regularly). It’s up to you, if it is a pest squirrel, you can either re-home it somewhere else, or you can kill it. Obviously if you are using the trap for hunting, you’re going to kill it.

All you need for this trap is around a five foot length of 6 inch PVC tube.  You also need an end-cap or something to securely plug one end of the tube.

Once you have your length of PVC tube with the end capped off, it’s time for bait. I think it is a given that peanut butter works best; smear a little around the open end of the tube and then keep adding a little more down to around an arm’s length down the tube. I also got a slice of bread (which I covered in peanut butter) and dropped it down to the bottom of the tube.

Ok, so now we have the baited squirrel trap, it’s time to set it. Set the trap where you know there is squirrel activity. You want to set the plugged end on the ground and rest the open end against a branch etc.  You don’t want the tube to be fully vertical, as the squirrel won’t go down the tube.  You want to set it at around 60-70 degrees.  This way the squirrel will go down after the food, but cannot escape due to the slippery surface of the inner tube.

A few tips –

  • You can spray or smear some cooking oil around the inside of the tube, around an arm’s length down.  This will make it doubly difficult for the squirrel to escape.
  • If you are planning to dispatch the squirrel, the easiest way to do this is to hold a hessian/burlap bag over the open end of the tube and simply tip the squirrel out into the bag. A heavy whack with a piece of wood etc should kill the squirrel quickly and humanely.  
  • If you are hunting squirrel for food, make several of these homemade squirrel traps and set them in several locations.

There you go, a low cost (free if you have some PVC tube laying around), zero skill way to trap squirrels. Happy hunting!

Related books: Guide to Trapping & The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

(Photo from: Airwolfhound)

DIY Emergency Candles: 6 Different SHTF Candles You Can Make

DIY homemade emergency candles

DIY Emergency 100 Hour Candles (Cost $1 Each!)

When I say these couldn’t be easier to make, I mean it! You need just three things to make these 100-hour emergency candles – a jar, a cheap table type candle and some shortening (Crisco or cheaper alternative). You simply spoon the shortening into the jar and when almost full you push the candle down into the middle, and apart from a bit of tidying you are all but done! If you like you can add some essential oils to the mix to give the candles a nice fragrance.

Now I said these 100-hour candles could be made for $1 and I believe they can. In the video BacktoBasics Gal purchased the jars, but you can clean out a reuse food jars, so then you just have to purchase the shortening and the table candles. I have seen packs of 12 of these type of candles in Dollar stores and you can pick up large containers of shortening pretty cheap too. You can pick up 48oz tub of Crisco on Amazon for $11.95.

Homemade DIY emergency candeles

How To Make Emergency 50 Hour Candles

Normal candles are fine for the odd short power outage, but if you are going to be days or even weeks without power/lighting, you want something bigger and more efficient like a 50 hour candle.  The problem is these are expensive… The good news is you can make around 15 of your own 50 hour candles for around the price of purchasing two.

You can reuse food jars, so they are free, and you can purchase 5 LBS of soy wax here and candle wicks here from Amazon; you can then make around 15, 50 hour candles for less that $25. For a full tutorial on how to make the candles, check out the link below.

How To Make Emergency 50 Hour Candles

(Photo from: TEOTWAWKI Blog)

Altoids Tin Emergency Candle (Stove & Heater)

Altoids tin DIY emergency candle

This Altoids tin emergency candle is a great little project that actually has several different uses in camping and emergency preparedness scenarios. This DIY Altoids tin candle has a candle with four wicks in the base and some matches and strikers glued to the underside of the lid, to make a complete emergency candle kit.

Personally, I actually think this Altoids candle is far more versatile than simply a light source – in an emergency, you could light all four wicks and it could be used to warm food and sterilize water in small quantities. Also if you were surviving outdoors or camping, I am fairly sure that with all four wicks lit, this would pump out a good amount of heat to help keep you warm, or at least warm up your hands to get some feeling and dexterity back into them. Check out the tutorial below to see how to make this simple but versatile Altoids candle.

Altoids Tin Emergency Candle (Stove & Heater)

(Photo from: EaKLondon via Instructables)

How to Make an Everlasting Candle from Crisco (it doesn’t smell!)

Ok, here’s the thing, I was always going to get around to doing a post on making a candle with Crisco, but then someone commented on our Facebook page about our make a candle with olive oil post saying olive oil is expensive and Crisco is a better option.

This got me thinking and tinkering and do you know what, it’s nice to make an olive oil candle (there is just something nice, healthy and clean about olive oil), but if you are up against it and you want the functional no-frills, but works like a charm option, then Crisco is the way to go.  Also, it couldn’t really be simpler as Crisco comes in a tin, so once you have inserted a wick, you are ready to go!

And NO, No, No it doesn’t stink!  So don’t ask! I admit I thought it would, but to my surprise, it doesn’t.

One thing I would do differently to the video is – I find it easier to use a straw to insert the wick.  Simply cut your wick to size, insert it into the straw and then use the straw to slide the wick in the Crisco, easy! It is preferable to buy and use proper wicks as these burn better, but at a push, any similar sized cord will do if you are stuck.

So there you go folks, but a few tins of Crisco in the cupboard and keep some wicks/string handy and you have cheap everlasting candles, which you could eat if you got really desperate…

You can get your Crisco  and candle wicks from Amazon (Crisco at Amazon, is there anything you can’t buy from Amazon now?)

How To Make An Emergency Candle From Butter

DIY emergency candle made from butter
In the past I have posted about how to make DIY candles from things you have at home: How to Make an Everlasting Candle from Crisco (it doesn’t smell!) and Make a Candle with Olive Oil.

I had never really considered making a candle out of butter, but I guess it makes sense as butter is mostly fat the same as Crisco and olive oil…

The great thing about this candle is you only need two things to make it – some butter and some toilet paper (to make the wick!). Anyway, head over to the Instructables and check out the video and tutorial.

Make a Butter Candle – Emergency Candle McGyver Style!

(Photo from: The King of Random via: Instructables)

Make A Lip-Balm Candle (Another reason to carry lip balm)

I have previously done a post called: How To Start A Fire With A Chapstick but here is another great reason to carry some lip-balm with you… You can make a create little candle with it, whilst still having the lip-balm available to protect your lips.

So for all you tough guys out there that don’t carry lip balm, now you have two extra reasons to consider taking some with you.  It can help you start fires and you can make candles from it. Oh yeah, it will also keep your lips nice and soft!

AMAZING Survival Hack For Getting Unstuck On Icy Roads

Get unstuck on icy roads

First things first – you should always carry a snow shovel in your vehicle during winter, it can literally mean the difference between life and death… You should also put together a small kit of essential survival items in case you have to spend the night in your car or hike miles home in freezing weather.

Even if you have a snow shovel, if the road is frozen hard, even after digging out around the wheels, it can still be difficult to gain traction and get un-stuck. In this situation the tip below help you get traction and get moving again. It can also work even if you didn’t have a snow shovel, so couldn’t dig out first, but only if the snow isn’t too deep.

This tip will only really work on hard surfaces such as roads, driveways, and car parks, but here’s what to do –

  • If there is snow and you have a snow shovel, dig out as much snow around the wheels as possible. No snow shovel, skip to next step!
  • Now take out the floor mats in your car, turn them upside down and place them in front/underneath the wheels which are spinning, this will obviously depend on whether your car is front or rear wheel drive.
  • Jump back in the car and try to drive forward slowly and steadily.  If you escape, be sure to run back and pick up your floor mats. If your car simply moved over the floor mats and immediately got stuck again, you can keep repeating the process and inch forward.

Please share this page with other – most of us have floor mats in our vehicles, but I am not sure many of us would consider using them to help us get un-stuck in ice and snow.

(Photo from:  Daniel Veazey)

How To Remove A Car Fender Dent With Boiling Water

carbumper

If you have a newer car, with a plastic bumper/fender and it has a dent in it, you are in luck as I am going to explain how to remove the fender dent for free with some boiling water…

This all started when my wife’s car had a dent in the fender. She took it to the garage and they quoted $300 to repair the dent. I thought there must be a cheaper DIY way of fixing the dent. I got to searching online and sure enough there are several DIY techniques you can try to remove the dent from your plastic fender/bumper. The one I tried was the boiling water method and it worked a treat!

How To Fix A Fender Dent On Your Car In Minutes With Boiling Water

Firstly be careful as we are using boiling water!

Boil a pan/kettle of water. When boiled carefully take it out to the car and slowly pour all of the water on and around the dent in the Fender. This will soften the plastic so you can pop the dent out.

Now reach under or around the back of the fender/bumper and push out the dent. If you are lucky, like we were, the dent will just pop right out. If the dent pops out, get pan of cold water and slowly pour over the area to cool the plastic so it sets hard again so it stays in place.

If this technique didn’t work for you, don’t rush out to the garage and spend $100s on the repair. Instead, head over to Amazon and purchase this tool for less than $10. Firstly try and see if you can pull out the fender dent without using the boiling water method. If that doesn’t work, pour the boiling water over the dented area and then try to use the tool to pull out the dent whilst the plastic is softer.

(Image from: )

Filed Under: DIY

Build A Self Contained 5 Gallon Bucket Sink System


This is so simple, but so useful! You have the sink at the top with the pump attached, then you’ve got the water reservoir and the gray water collection below. Press the pump peddle and hey presto! Running water… Best of all, when not in use, the buckets fit inside each other and the pump/tube/peddle fit inside the top bucket.

This self contained sink could also be used in an off-the-grid home, that doesn’t have running water.  You could build a nice sink surround and pop in a nice metal bucket at the top (or even a normal sink), and hide the other buckets under the sink with a curtain etc. So there you go, a great little self contained sink system for camping, or use off-the-grid.

How To Remove Cat Urine (AND The Smell!) From Carpets

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Cat urine in the carpet can be a nightmare! If you don’t have cats you won’t know what all the fuss is about, but if you do have cats, you know exactly what I am talking about… It is so, so difficult to clean up and get rid of odor of cat urine, especially when it is on the carpet or sprayed on soft furnishings.

I know people who have ended up replacing their carpets to get rid of the cat urine odor, but I am here today to tell you – you don’t need to take such drastic measures. Just get hold of the ingredients below and follow the simple steps and you’ll be free from the smell of cat urine in no time.

Items Required To Clean Cat Urine

  • Baking Soda
  • White Vinegar
  • Dishwashing Detergent
  • Hydrogen Peroxide 3 %
  • Paper towel or an old towel
  • A soft brush/latex gloves

Instructions For Cleaning Cat Urine

  • If the cat urine is fresh and wet, firstly use the paper towel to mop up and absorb as much of the urine as possible. Get as much of the urine out as you can. Obviously skip this step if the area is already dry.
  • Mix a solution of 50% water, 50% white vinegar. You want enough of this solution to cover the urine so it can soak through. Pour this solution over the affected carpet, making sure to cover/soak the whole area affected by the urine. Leave the solution to soak in for a few minutes and then mop and absorb as much of the solution as possible.  Again, you want to get as much out as possible.
  • Now get a generous handful of baking soda and sprinkle it over the affected area.
  • Mix a third of a cup of hydrogen peroxide with two teaspoons of dish soap and then pour it over the baking soda on the carpet.
  • Use the brush, or your fingers (put the gloves on!) to work this mixture into the carpet.  Really work this mixture into the carpet.
  • Now just leave to dry.  You can use a fan/heater to speed up the drying process if necessary.
  • Once completely dry, vacuum up all the remaining dry baking soda, and that’s it, you are done!
(Photo from:  recubejim)

Awesome Auto-Filling Water Bowl For Dogs & Cats

pets

We actually purchased an auto-filling bowl for our cat, which was very similar to this. Funny, it never occurred to me just how easy it would be to make one myself.

Anyway if there is anyone else out there who wants to make sure the water bowl stays topped up during the hot weather etc, save yourself $30 a make one of these dog/cat water bowls yourself.  To my mind the one in the photo looks more suitable for a cat, but that’s the beauty of DIY – you can make things to your own specification.

Awesome Auto-Filling Water Bowl For Dogs & Cats

(Photo from: JimTiffinJr via Instructables)

Awesome Campfire Swings (Includes Build Photos & Materials List)

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Firstly, before we get onto anything to do with building the campfire swing set-up, I have to say, this is beautiful and awesome in equal measures. It must be great, sitting out there together with friends, with the fire roaring and a cold beer in the hand.

Now I have finished drooling, let’s get on to building… Whilst this set-up looks amazing, it is actually surprisingly simple and straightforward to build and it should last for years. There isn’t a full build tutorial, but there are build photos and materials list, so it shouldn’t be too hard to fill in the blanks.

Awesome Campfire Swings (Includes Build Photos & Materials List)

(Photo from: Chenango Dave)