Okay let’s look at the total cost between “perfection” and good enough to start.

1. Solar energy: Let’s say instead of whole home that cost’s $45,000.00 we are around $1000.00
2. Food: Instead of $2000.00 for freeze-dried we guesstimate around $300.00. Figuring a 50# of rice and beans at average cost of $50.00. 2  Flour at $15.00 per 50 bag, Sugar  50# bag at $30.00, Yeast $5.00 per 2# bag. Salt 50 # for $6.00. Wow about $121.00 add few dollar in seeds. So about $130.00 for each 500 meals. So for that extra you could allocate money for a canner? or oils? or a freezer.
3. Guns: I won’t get into beyond the 12 gauge as a home defense weapon. But let’s say we go cheap on 1 weapon and ammo. Designate $300.00 for security.

This list needs a lot of additions, but it a good start for around $500.00 or less. It’s not perfect if you wait for perfect you may miss good enough.

Butter can rot and it can decompose. But it is also very easy to preserve. The process takes a bit of time, but it’s easy to do and it will save you a ton of money.

First butter has long been “rendered” and still is in India where it’s called ghee. Basically butter is heated to the melting point and all of the solids (Milk fats) are skimmed off which results in “clarified butter” that you dip your lobster in. This “ghee” is very stable and does not rot even in high temps. In fact it was used by pioneers of the USA in the early 1800′s. But you must keep it in the coolest darkest place available like any oil. I’m sure your home has many better places to store it than a Conestoga Wagon crossing the plains in early summer.

So on to bottled butter. You will need butter, canning jars lids and bands. A canning “Kit” that contains a funnel, lid lifter, Jar lifter and a few other doodads will be a great help also you will use them again canning.

1. Clean the jars: A run through the dish washer is fine. I use a roasting pan for sanitizing the jars in an oven at 250 degrees F. Place a glass marble in each jar. Turn off heat but leave in oven till butter is ready

2. Place canning lids and all utensils in a large pot and Boil to sanitize.

3. Melt butter and bring to a slow boil over very low heat. For 5 pounds of butter have 6 pint jars ready.

4. I  use a ladle to fill my jars. You will want to leave some space. I fill mine up to the neck of the jar. About an inch of spacing. Or if you are using a canning funnel a bit (1/8 in.) below the funnel’s bottom edge.

5. Place lid from the other boiled/sanitized pot on jar and screw on band.

6. Walk away and check your email and you will start to hear the jars pop indicating a seal.

7. About every 5  minutes give the jar a shake. This is where the marble comes in. The marble will work to to break up the fats and distribute them evenly. Same concept as shaking a can of spray paint.

8. Now you have bottled Butter! Store in a cool dark spot and it should be good for at least 3 years. Though archeologists have found “Bog Butter” in Ireland and Scotland that was edible from 500-1000  years ago.

Please stop by Preparedness Pro and give a thank you to Kellene. She’s the one who taught me, and gave me the confidence to try it out.

Author: Jamie

Jamie is a US Army veteran and an expert on the subject of self reliance & preparation on a shoestring budget. To learn more from Jamie’s vast experience, you can visit her blog titled My Adventures in Self Reliance.

I’m a former enlisted person in the US Army but also an arm-chair historian. What I’ve always noticed is everything comes down to basic logistics. It’s not sexy, cool or exciting as jet planes or tanks or aircraft carriers,  but I’d like you to ask some your suppliers what city or state they get their goods?  Is it via trucking, rail, sea or rivers . Do they even know? or do they depend on UPS, Fedex and the postal service for everything?

As you drive to work count all the overpasses and underpasses, Railroad crossings, canals, rivers and locks and bridges. Now I bet you could figure out how to disrupt at least 3 points in your drive and leave a city helpless for moving goods in and out. Terrorists maybe fanatics but they ain’t stupid. Most of the 9-11 hijackers were upper middle class Arabs with degrees in engineering, architecture and economics from western universities.

Do you know where the Fall out Shelters are in your city?  Have you asked? They are probably still there.  Disused and falling apart and the stock of food if they have it is K-rats or C-rats but they are there.  Look for the radioactive sign and ask to check it out. This can be so instructive on so many level from history. To see if  TPTB’s actually restock it and what they are spending money on…..

Have fun kids and get prepared cause it will get nasty. Being realistic in your prep and to be flexible is your best option.

Author: Jamie

Jamie is a US Army veteran and an expert on the subject of self reliance & preparation on a shoestring budget. To learn more from Jamie’s vast experience, you can visit her blog titled My Adventures in Self Reliance.

The GTA community began as a two-person effort, but has quickly grown into a community that is truly by the members and for the members. We wanted to create a community that would go against the typical ‘end of the world’ survivalist forums and, instead, provide a rational, common sense approach to dealing with today’s economic and political turmoil. It didn’t take long to discover that the people GTA attracted were experts in their own right. It soon became apparent that the best thing to do was to step aside and let our members share their expertise better than any one person ever could.

The level of knowledge in this community is astonishing. If you need information on a prepping-related topic, these guys and gals are likely to be able to provide you with expert guidance. The opinions may vary, but you are guaranteed to receive quality advice, with some humor likely to be mixed in along the way. GTA has become a place that provides serious answers in a fun, common sense environment. GTA has a family feel that you aren’t likely to find on other forums, and that is a credit to our wonderful members. In addition to expert advice, this community provides comfort in hard times, humor on a bad day, a forum to celebrate when things go your way, and, most of all, a place where friends are only a few clicks away when you need them.

We want people to realize that by preparing their families for unforeseen circumstances, whether they be financial, natural, or otherwise, and improving their own individual skills, worries will turn to confidence, and doom & gloom evaporate.

Grab The Apple is our attempt to inform, prepare, and inspire people of the United States, and the rest of the world, to strive for the highest quality of life possible and not let anything stand in their way. After all, you only live once, so you might as well get out there and Grab The Apple!

I thought I would talk a little bit about the items that I keep on my keychain.

Fenix LD01 Flashlight

Peanut Lighter

Victorinox Midnite Minichamp

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You see, its not what you buy or even what you do, its much deeper than that: Its how your head is wired and process everything in the first place.

Just a few examples of what I mean.

This Christmas I received his scarf from some relatives in Spain I’m meeting for the first time.

Apart from the gift itself, reestablish family ties in other countries is a pretty good idea I encourage everyone to put into practice.  You might be surprised by how welcoming and affective they can be. Family is important, and they can help each other during hard times and having family in other countries is and extra advantage.

The first thing I noticed about this winter scarf was the color. See how its almost cammo? I’m sure that’s not what the designers at Zara had in mind, but it makes no difference. I don’t care if its made by Versace, the different shades of brown work almost as cammo and that’s good enough for me. I can wear it to keep warm and as a bonus this is something you can spread out and wrap around your head and neck like a piece of camouflage.

Second,  the material.  Its wool and that means it will keep you warm even if wet, so that’s another advantage.

While someone else sees just an ugly winter scarf someone with a different mindset sees these things.

I got these as a Christmas gift for my oldest son.

While the political correct crowd gets their panties all twisted by the idea, I think toy guns are a great gift for kids.

Now, why buy just any toy gun? What I did was buy some heavy metal ones, with working mechanisms and designs similar to real guns so that, even if just scaled down toys, the muscle memory and feel is somewhat the same of the real thing. The pump action actually pumps and the revolver has a double action mechanism with a trigger pull that isn’t that bad.

The day when my son handles real firearms for the first time, the feeling of a DA revolver and pump action shotgun wont be entirely strange to him.

This is a product I found recently in a supermarket and it caught my attention.  Its  condensated milk in a metal toothpaste type tube. Maybe you have something similar in your local supermarket.

Condensated Sugared milk, has lots of calories which is good for an emergency food. The tube provides 700 calories give or take, as well as protein and fat.

Pretty cool for something that has over a year worth of shelf life and can be eaten out of the tube, not to mention mixing it with water to well, make milk of course.

It’s a serious contestant to my other favorite survival supermarket food, tuna in a metal pouch.

Such a tube with peanut butter would be neat as well.

Hope you guys started the year well. Take care.

Fernando Aguirre

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