Author: Gaye Levy

Have you put some thought into what would happen if your world went dark for a week?  I mean really thought about it, starting with day one and going out a week, a month or even longer? I don’t know about you, but when I first started prepping, I heeded the warnings from NASA and considered the possibility of an EMP caused by solar flares, a coronal mass ejection, or even a meteor strike.  These days, the concern is as much for a human-induced attack on the grid as it is a natural phenomenon. It would be an understatement to … Continue reading →

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Back in 2011, I wrote a little piece about the importance of having a selection of items on hand to fix and clean almost everything.  Since that time, my views have changed and whereas many of the items on the original list still hold a prominent place in my fix-it kit, some have dropped off and others have been added. Given that my focus this year is on simplicity as well as frugality, this is a great time to go back and credo this list because let’s face it.  Life is filled with little fix-it and clean-it tasks. Life is … Continue reading →

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During the Great Depression, frugality was considered a virtue and the phrase “Use it up, Wear it out and Make it do” was the guiding principal in most households. Times were tough.  This meant that everything from bits of strings to worn out clothing was saved and re-purposed in some other manner.  Not only that but every last bit of food from a can or bottle was swished out with a bit of water and used to flavor a soup or stew.  Printed chicken feed sacks became skirts and flour sacks became underwear.  Nothing was wasted. These days, most of … Continue reading →

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In a show of hands, how many of you have at least two dozen lighters set aside for survival use?  My guess is at least 50% of you have a couple of dozens and most likely 10% have 100 or more. Along with water and food, adding tools for making fire is one of the first preps most newbies acquire.  Whether the tool of choice is matched, lighters, a fire steel, Fresnel lens, or all of the above, it makes sense to have multiple ways to start a fire.  That makes sense, since after all, fire can be used to … Continue reading →

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Every prepper knows that multipurpose items save space and money.  Because of this, we stash things like salt, duct tape, vinegar, and paracord like they are going out of style. Here is another inexpensive item that you should add to your list of versatile preps: coffee filters. Coffee filters are ubiquitous They are inexpensive, lightweight, and readily available. Heck, you can purchase coffee filters at the dollar store, Amazon, Costco, the corner grocery, and even on EBay. Now I will be first to admit that there are a lot of lists floating around with suggested uses for coffee filters. However, … Continue reading →

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As much as I like to think I have a handle on things, sometimes projects slip through the cracks. Case in point.  Since the big road trip to Arizona in late September, not once have I gone out to the Subaru and reviewed the contents of my car kit.  At the time of my journey I was certain that I had everything I needed in the event of a calamity along the way.  The journey, after all, was close to 1,500 miles. Since then, life has happened.  We needed room to cart groceries and, in Shelly’s case, to transport 4 … Continue reading →

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Let’s face it.  We live in a world fueled by debt and for many, having debt is an ordinary part of life,  For them, racking up the credit cards at Christmas and slowing paying them off while collecting massive interest is a way of life.  Many never pay them off. From where I sit, it is understandable when people owe money for extremely large purchases like real estate or a reliable vehicle.  That makes sense, but these days, a great deal of consumer debt is lifestyle debt. Lifestyle debt is credit used to purchase clothing, go on vacations, and buy … Continue reading →

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Welcome to this week’s Survival Buzz as life returns to normal after all of the Black Friday brouhaha yesterday. I woke up to over 100 so-called deals on my inbox Friday morning and as tempted as I was to let my fingers to the shopping, I did show some restraint and stuck to my monthly prepping budget.  It did help that I had a few unused gift cards in my desk drawer so I was able to take advantage of some of the free shipping offers being featured this weekend. Anyhow, it is the last Buzz of the month which … Continue reading →

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With the onset of the holiday season, it is time to begin thinking about how we are going to spend both our precious time and money to ensure that we make the most of the spirit of the season. My own household is entering into unchartered territory. Where normally we spend the month of December traipsing around serene forest trails while wearing cozy down jackets, this year will be different.  We will be wearing tank tops and tee shirts and cooking outdoors using a Sun Oven.  The trails this year are desert trails, and dust and dirt are commonplace.  One … Continue reading →

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Recent world events dictate that we remain on high alert, whether attending a concert, traveling using public transportation, shopping at the mall, or even walking around our own neighborhoods.  If you are like me, you may already be thinking that you know enough about situational awareness to know when something bad is about to happen and, as I have suggested, escape or take cover. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.  To really get a grasp on the skills you need to stay ahead of the bad guys, you are going to need expert safety, survival, escape and … Continue reading →

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Have you ever been rooting through your pantry and come across a package that is well past its expiration date? Despite our good intentions, attempts at organization, and careful rotation of supplies, it still happens from time to time. What about a really amazing sale on a packaged food? Sometimes that good sale is a last-ditch effort to clear out the product before the date. Should you still buy it? When sorting supplies for my recent relocation, I discovered to my dismay that a couple of items had passed their expiration dates. I was determined to find out whether I … Continue reading →

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With Winter right about the corner, it is time to begin to focus upon building up an arsenal of remedies to get us through the cold and flu season.  Not surprisingly, these are not traditional over the counter meds but rather  a variety of herbal remedies that you can concoct yourself from inexpensive ingredients not the least of which are herbs that may be growing in your yard or in the surrounding locale. For preppers, the importance of learning to use herbal remedies is that if the time ever came when traditional medicines were not available, sickness would spread and … Continue reading →

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It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the books that were selected for the Backdoor Survival Prepper Book Festival #10.  My gosh, what a line-up.  For the first time, all 14 books are non-fiction and they cover such a wide range of topics that there is surely something for everyone! As readers, I hope that you find something that is both interesting and educational in this list of book festival entries. These are the best new books to help you prepare!  I also hope that in the coming weeks you will enjoy the author interviews and that … Continue reading →

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One of the very first things I did when I first started prepping was to bolster my pantry with basic staples that could be used for a variety of purposes.  When it was suggested that I store salt, and lots of it, I was a disbeliever. After all, conventional mainstream wisdom had taught me that salt was the bad guy. But is it really? I made it my mission to determine whether salt is a good thing, a bad thing, or simply something best treated as an item to “use in moderation”. Salt As the Bad Guy According to the … Continue reading →

I have always claimed, and not altogether jokingly, that you could build a house with Elmer’s glue and Duct Tape.  Both items are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easy to tote around.  Given my penchant for common, everyday products that can be used dozens of ways, I thought it would be fun to once again look at some of the practical uses of duct tape around the house, camping, and of course, in a survival or emergency situation. You might recall that way back when, in the early days of this website, I wrote about the 34 Ways to Use … Continue reading →