Knowledge Weighs Nothing

1 Year Emergency Food Storage For A Family Of 4 For Less Than $300

Emergency food storage

This is a great post from the Seasoned Prepper, but I should add here (also noted on the original post), this food storage plan will provide for almost all of your family’s nutritional needs, but it is lacking any dairy or vitamin B12. However, vitamin b12 can easily and cheaply be added via a multivitamin supplement (which I would already recommend) or with some nutritional yeast flakes. If you wanted to add in some dairy, you could quite cheaply add some whey protein powder or milk powder as well.

That said, for less than $300 and a weekend’s work, you can store 90% of the food required by a family of four to last a whole year. That is fairly amazing!

I should point out – this plan provides a very basic diet that whilst very nutritious and healthy, it is going to get boring and bland pretty quickly. With this in mind I would suggest either upping the initial budget to around $500 and adding some extra foods/herbs and spices etc, to provide some variety. Alternatively, you can get the basics stored now and you can then gradually add to it over time as money allows.

I think a lot of people are overwhelmed when it comes to starting out storing food in case the SHTF.  This food plan provides a great way to get started super quickly and store a core basic range of foods that you can then add to bit by bit, over time. The most important thing with emergency food storage is actually getting started storing some food. This emergency food plan enables you to do this quickly, easily, and fairly cheaply.

The bottom line is this – if you don’t already have any food supplies stored away in case of emergency, what are you waiting for? It doesn’t get simpler or cheaper than this.

(Photo from: Tim Patterson)

Simple PVC Tube Homemade Squirrel Trap

squirrel1

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 Hydroelectricity 101: Generate Electricity From Running Water

1156561819_febf81f803

Some of the most popular posts on K.W.N have been the ones about generating free energy and electricity; by far the most popular have been the numerous DIY solar power, solar heating and solar hot water posts. However, if your property has a suitable and reliable running water source, I would highly recommend you look into hydro-power/hydroelectricity.

The benefit of using a hydro-generator over solar power is that with a hydro-generator, power is generated 24/7, solar panels only work during daylight hours and their efficiency is affected by the weather and time of year.

If you are considering purchasing some land for a homestead or bug-out location, land with a reliable running water source would be a HUGE plus as it could provide free electricity, drinking water and food. However, before you go ahead and purchase, you should check with the local authority to see whether you can use the water source for hydroelectricity. Just because it is your land, it doesn’t give you OFFICIAL permission to do so.

DIY Hydroelectricity 101: Generate Electricity From Running Water

Book: Microhydro: Clean Power from Water (The book by Scott Davis, who wrote the post!)

(Photo from: hoyasmeg)

Make A Fire Piston (Slam Rod Fire Starter)

I have never actually used a fire piston myself, but I understand the principle and I know that many people use them for starting fires in the wilderness.

If you don’t know what a fire piston is – a fire piston, or a “slam rod fire starter” as it’s sometimes known, is a small tube/piston that uses rapid compression of air to create heat.  When the compression is high enough, the heat generated in the air chamber ignites the tinder material, which is then used to start the fire.  As in the video, it would seem to me that charcloth is the best type of tinder to use with this method of fire starting.  See: How To Make Charcloth (For fire starting)

If you watch the video you’ll see how the fire works, whilst also seeing how to build one yourself.

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)

How to Build an Earthbag Dome

FZIR6J9GJHVL5JY.MEDIUM

This multi-purpose dome can serve as a storage shed, cool pantry, or as a root cellar. No building permit is typically needed, because it is below the minimum size required by building codes, is not inhabited and is not attached to a residence ( I would still check with your local office).

We have posted about earth bag building before, even earth bag houses, but this simple earth bag dome is by far the quickest and easiest to build. Check out: How To Build An Earthbag Roundhouse

How to Build an Earthbag Dome

(Picture Credit:Owen Geiger)

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)

Trucker’s Friend All-Purpose and Survival Tool Review

DSCF0763
The Trucker’s Friend is an all purpose tool, designed for truck drivers. Basically it does hacking, prying, wrecking, pulling and pounding! It weighs around 2.5 pounds and it is just under 20 inches in length. I think it should also be called the Prepper’s Friend!  Two HUGE additional bonuses are – it is made in the USA and it is backed by a ‘no hassle’ Lifetime Replacement Guarantee, very cool!

DSCF0766
Here are some of the specifications:

  • Curved Axe (fully resharpenable)
  • Hammer and Nail Puller
  • Spanner (for hose couplings)
  • Pry Bar and Lever
  • Tire Chain Hook
  • Wire Twist (for removing lightweight security seals)
  • Ice and Debris Remover
  • Cast Alloy Tool-Steel Blade and Shank (heat treated for extra strength)
  • Rust Resistant Matte Finish
  • Fiberglass Handle (non-conducting)
  • Shock Absorbing Powergrip
  • Backed by a ‘Hassle-Free’ Lifetime Replacement Guarantee
  • Made in USA

The Prepper’s Friend, sorry, Trucker’s Friend, currently sells at $59.95, which I think is an awesome price given its versatility, quality and the no hassle replacement guarantee.

I have had my Trucker’s Friend for around a month or so now, and overall my thoughts are very positive. It is a truly versatile wrecking machine. It does everything stated, BUT, and maybe this is an obvious point, it doesn’t do these things as well as the individual specialized tools would. For example, the hammer does its job, but it is not weighted or balanced in the same way a specific hammer is, so you have to use more force to hammer nails etc.

Don’t get me wrong – as a prepper/survival tool it is highly recommended. If you want one tool with multiple uses, this is the tool for you. However, for around the home, day to day use, I would reach for a specific hammer or axe first.

A few other things to note – the Trucker’s Friend is a very nice length/weight, at 20 inches with 2.5 pounds of weight, it has a nice heft and swing, specifically for chopping/wrecking. The biggest negative is the sheath, which is terrible.  It is made from very cheap thin plastic, and mine was ripped when it arrived. Personally I think this tool should come with a small kydex sheath which covered the axe blade and fastens around the head. This is not a deal breaker it is very easy to make a DIY kydex sheath (search YouTube for tutorials), and this is exactly what I will be doing!

Conclusion

The Trucker’s Friend is a solid and dependable, multi-use tool which can also double up as a weapon in an emergency self-defense situation. Its versatility makes it an obvious choice for preppers etc, who are looking for an all-in-one hammer, axe and pry-bar. It costs $59.59, which isn’t small change, but I think it represents excellent value for money, especially when you factor it that it is made in the USA and it comes with a lifetime no quibble replacement guarantee. Break it, they’ll send you a new one! My recommendation – buy a Trucker’s Friend and spend 30 minutes to make a simple kydex sheath.

Trucker’s Friend USA Made All-Purpose and Survival Tool: Purchase from Amazon

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!

500+ FREE Canning Recipes (Fruit, Veg, Jams, Jellies, Sauces & More!)

4020869328_d403c198ea_z

If you have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, canning is one of the best ways to preserve food so that they can be eaten down the line when fresh foods are more expensive or not available. Canning is also one of the most popular ways for preppers to preserve food for storage in case the SHTF one day… I have just stumbled across the canning section on food.com, I am shocked to say that I did not know that this amazing free canning resource existed…

There are 100s and 100s of canning recipes covering fruit, vegetables, jams, jellies and preserves.  There are even recipes for water baths and also recipes for freezing. This is by far the biggest and best free canning resource I am aware of and I highly recommend you check it out.

500+ FREE Canning Recipes (Fruit, Veg, Jams, Jellies, Sauces & More!)

(Photo from:  neil alejandro)