Money magazine uses criteria such as employment rates, crime, home values, schools, things to do, health care. Although some of these sound good, Money’s writers put a little too much emphasis on some of those things while not taking into account that they should. I also have a sneaky suspicion that advertiser money is also a ranking factor. Also, if you notice, most of these places are metro areas, meaning they’re suburbs of major cities. I believe most of us would not choose to live a self reliant lifestyle in the shadow of a major city, nor would we want to try and survive there should there be a emergency.

How I Selected The 10 Best Places To Survive In America

Here’s some of the criteria I used to come up with my list.

The single biggest factor was the price of real estate. Hey, the best place to survive in America isn’t worth squat if you can’t afford to buy a place there! And for anyone who has lived a self reliant lifestyle, you know that you can make it happen nearly anyplace as long as you have some determination and knowledge. It will also help if you have a solid work ethic.

Next, I looked at the climate. While not a big factor, it has to be taken into account. While some may prefer the dry heat of the deserts, others prefer the cooler temps of the upper midwest.

Another criteria that I looked at is the availability of natural resources. If a collapse or other type of man made disaster were to strike, then the availability of natural resources will suddenly become very important to a lot of folks.

So without further delay, here are my choices of the Top 25 places to Survive in America.

1. Red Oak, Oklahoma

This little town of about 500 or so lies in Southeastern Oklahoma. I’ve long felt that this area was a overlooked gem when talking about places to survive.

The land prices are some of the most reasonable in the Nation. I recently found a 4 acre tract there with a small cabin on it for $25,000. It’s not unusual to find larger tracts of land for less than $1000 per acre. Try doing that in other areas!

The Quachita National Forest is near by. This area consist of mountainous lands with valleys with streams and rivers.The forest provides great opportunities for hunting, exploring, hiking and fishing.

If you feel the need for a larger city, Fort Smith Arkansas is about 50 miles away.

Construction and timber comprise most of the employment in the area, but as with any where else, there’s always something for everyone.

2. Mountain Home, Arkansas

Mountain Home is located in North Central Arkansas and it lies in the Ozark Mountains. The population of Mountain Home is around 13,000. Like most Southern mountain ranges, it offers a little something for everyone. Hardwood ridges with valleys that have clear flowing streams.

This area isn’t as remote as it once was, but if someone looks hard enough, you can find that remote property you’ve always dreamed of. There are several rivers in the area that provide not only good water, but an abundance of fish and other natural resources. The mountains surrounding the area are known as good areas to hunt small game as well as Black Bear, Deer and Wild Hogs.

While the land prices are not as cheap as they are in other desirable survival areas, they’ll still much more reasonable than places such as California or Arizona.

Mountain Home is getting a good reputation as a touristy spot. Eureka Springs is down the road about an hour or so and is more well known than Mountain Home. So if you despise tourist, then you might want to steer away from the whole area. Then again, if you see tourist as a source of money for your cash only family business, you might find this area as very desirable!

3. West Liberty, Kentucky

Yeah, you guessed it, another small town in the Southern mountains. If you’re beginning to see that I prefer the Southern mountains, then you’re right! Mainly because they’re affordable!

West Liberty is a town of about 3 thousand in the Eastern part of the State. The surrounding area is mountainous and offers plenty of remote land for the self reliant person or anyone wanting to get away from the crowds. You’ll also find a lot of this land ideal for living off the grid! I recently found 60 acres for sale near West Liberty for $32,000! Now that’s some cheap land!

The immediate area has been hit hard by the economy lately, so expect it might be hard to find a good paying job. But then again, you may be resourceful and be able to scratch out your own living.

If I was looking for a place far removed from civilization with a moderate climate, I’d seriously give this area of Kentucky a good looking over!

4. Pennsboro, West Virginia

I hesitated even mentioning any place in West Virginia due to is location near some of the largest population centers in the U.S. But in reality, some of you in those metro areas are probably going to be looking for a place to bug out or relocate if the SHTF. So I present to you, a very good place to do so.

Pennsboro is another small town located in a poor rural area. The perfect place many of us would prefer to live! There’s about 1200 people who call Pennsboro home.

You can get lost in the immediate area, literally! But isn’t the whole point of living away from the major population centers?

If an outdoor type lifestyle is your cup of tea, then you’ll find it hard to find an area like Pennsboro West Virginia.

5. Carlin, Nevada

Okay, here’s a place for you Desert Rats! If you love the hot, dry high desert type climate, you’ll think you died and went to Heaven in this area. Land is dirt cheap. How cheap is that you ask? How about 220 acres for $45,000, or how about 40 acres for $4,000. Yes, that’s right, 40 acres for $4,000!

Now, if you haven’t been out there, you probably wouldn’t know that most of this land is high desert. Which is just above desert on the places that are in hospitable to most folks! But it’s there if you’re willing to pay for it and many people actually prefer these places. The climate is one of very hot during the Summer and it can get downright bone crushing cold in the Winter.

Carlin itself has about 2 thousand folks living in it. Most of the jobs in the area come from Mining and the Service industry (read Casino’s!).  It’s fairly close to Elko and then a nice drive down the road to Winnemucca.

The downside, other than the lack of water on some of the land for sale, is that it lies near I-80. Of course, I consider that a downside, you may not!

6. Hettinger, North Dakota

North Dakota is another state that I hesitated to list. Not because of its location near huge population centers like West Virginia, (unless you’re counting Jack Rabbits!) but because of its severe Winters. But as with any place that has low land prices, the land is what you make of it. So if you can handle the long North Dakota Winters, then the area round Hettinger is likely to be your cup of tea.

There are around 1000 people give or take who call Hettinger home. The town lies in the Southwest part of the state, just a little North of the South Dakota line. The surrounding land is mixed use and there are some good deals on land if you hunt them out.

There is an abundance of natural resources, although not as many as in the Southern mountains in my opinion. But on the other hand, if you’re a gardener or wanting to live a more farm or agricultural lifestyle, it would be difficult to find a more reasonably priced place than this area. I’ve seen a number of tracts going for less than $1000 per acre.

7. Sierra Blanca, Texas

This is another place you Desert Rats may want to take a look at. Here again this is another “iffy” spot due to the number of illegal aliens that pass through the area. The town itself is just off of I-10 which is another drawback. But 5 to 10 acre tracts in the area are priced really well and if someone doesn’t mind the heat and illegals, then this area may be ideal for you.

You also have to figure that the taxes for the land are not jacked up either. With Texas being one of only a handful of States that do not have a personal income tax, you may want to put this on your list of places to visit. But be warned, in some parts of the State, they make up for not having personal income tax by having huge property tax! This is something to keep in mind before moving to Texas.

8. Thayer, Missouri

Thayer or Alton, either place would be a good choice for someone looking to get away from the population mass. The land is reasonably price, the climate is moderate and there are plenty of natural resources available.

Thayer is located in the South Central part of the state and has about 2000 people living there. It’s a small, quiet and quaint town. You’ll find plenty of game in the surrounding areas as well as good soil for growing crops or livestock.

There are also a ton of outdoor activities in the area, including several lakes and rivers. Sightseeing and hiking are a big draw here and the area has a moderate tourist population in the Summer.

If a house in a small town is your idea of a survival retreat, then you can find affordable homes in Thayer and Alton.

9. Cedar City, Utah

Cedar City has quite a few smaller pieces of land for fairly reasonable prices. While maybe not as cheap as other places, some of these lots have great mountain views. Most of the immediate area is hilly to mountainous. Cedar City itself has about 25 to 30,000 people. One of the largest towns I’ve chose for this list. But as I said earlier, the availability of land and the low cost of the parcels in the area is what helped it make the Top 10 Best Places To Survive in America.

Besides low land cost, there are a lot of things one can do around Cedar City if you get bored on the ole homestead. Most involve the outdoors, which is another reason most of us like to get away from the Metro areas.

Also, Utah in general has an independent attitude when it comes to States. I like that! The population there reminds me a lot of many old school Texans! They don’t want your Government handouts, they want you to get out of their way, leave them alone and they’ll take care of their self! This is the kind of people who will be living high and mighty should a economic collapse comes.

10. Pikeville, Tennessee

Last but not least is Pikeville Tennessee. There are a lot of smaller acreage around Pikeville. And while it may cost a little more per acre than some of the other areas, it has great natural resources close by and a lot of the parcels of land offer you some privacy due to being so remote.

Pikeville itself has bout 2 thousand people, so you won’t feel overly crowded. Plus, as an added bonus, Pikeville is in the Sequatchie Valley. One of the most picturesque places in the East if you ask me!

Disadvantage of Buying Rural and Remote Properties

One thing you have to keep in mind when you’re talking about rural property, and this goes for rural property anywhere, not just in the East, is that a lot of these places also attract people from the drug industry. This is due to the same reason you and I are attracted to them. Fewer people and remote, cheap land. While I see it more in rural Eastern States such Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. Every year, people (and sometimes whole families) go missing and are never heard from again in these rural counties. So be safe when looking at land in rural areas.

Another disadvantage that some see in remote properties is the distance to shopping and health care. If you slip with an axe and bury it in your leg, you may have a hard time getting out of your homestead and to a hospital. Just something to keep in mind.

What About Other States?

The truth is, you can find a remote or rural areas in every state to move to if you really want to get away from major population centers. There are even places such as these in States such as California and New York. The reason I left these states out of the list, as well as many of the upper Midwest states such as Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois is because not only do they have larger population centers, but the State government and in many instances the local government, tend to lean toward the Liberal side. This can affect you with unfavorable laws being passed as well as increased taxes on real estate.

There are still remote places along our Southern border in New Mexico, Arizona and California not to mention Texas. But with the drug cartels taking over our border states while our Government sits back and does nothing, these would not be my first, second or third choices. Even though I would love to do a long term Gold hunting trip in AZ, it’s not worth the headache of watching over your back every minute.

You can also find remote places in Oregon and Washington state, but for the same reasons I wouldn’t move to the Upper Midwest states mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t move to these Western states.

The East coast suffers from having huge population centers like Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Raleigh and others. Population centers are easy targets for a variety of reasons and you sure don’t want to be living near, or downwind of one in case of an attack. For this reason, I left the Eastern seaboard out of my list, even though I know there is reasonable land prices in North and South Carolina. There’s just too many people in these places for me!

So What Are My Favorite Places To Survive?

Contrary to the popular belief from many so called Survival Experts, I believe the rural properties in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee offers the average Joe great places to get away from the Sheeple and practice living the way they want to. You don’t need some huge bunker complex in Idaho or Montana to be self reliant and be prepared for a economic collapse or man made disaster.

Have fun with this list. Do your own research and make your own list. Use your own criteria and let me know where you’d choose to Survive at in America!

Buying and storing seeds for survival is not hard and not expensive, certainly not as expensive as some of the survival seed packs being offered on the Internet.

How To Make Your Own Survival Seed Bank

First off, you want to use only heirloom seeds, not hybrid seeds. Heirloom seeds are open pollinated. You will get the same type of plant year after year by saving the seeds. With hybrid seeds, the plants are derived from two different plant varieties. The problem with seeds from hybrids is that when you save the seeds and replant them, you typically get one variety and not the other. That is, if you even get anything from the hybrid seeds.

You can find good quality heirloom seeds on the Internet. Several places that I re3commend are Heirloom Seeds, Baker Creek and Victory Seeds. Another good source of heirloom seeds is Seed Savers. Seed Savers is an exchange where people can share and trade heirloom seeds.

Before you start ordering any kind of seeds, sit down and figure out which varieties you want to plant and which ones you may want to plant in the future. Make a list before you start shopping for seeds.

For example, here are the seeds I buy, plant and put back in my seed bank.

• Corn (sweet and field varieties)
• Beans (pole, green and pinto)
• Tomatoes (southern varieties that do well in the heat)
• Onions (bulb and green type)
• Potatoes (I prefer the red and Yukon golds)
• Okra
• Radish
• Peas
• Cucumbers (pickling and slicers)
• Melons (watermelon, cantaloupe)
• Peppers
• Greens (spinach, turnip, etc)

The seeds that you’ll want to fit your situation will probably be different, but at least this will give you an idea of what types I put back. Make sure that you’ve actually grown the variety in your area to ensure that it grows well in your local climate. Here in the South, many Tomato varieties don’t handle our heat well, so we have to be selective in what we plant. For example, the heirloom variety Brandywines are great tomatoes but they don’t tolerate the heat near as well as Arkansas Travelers. So which one do you think I plant and put back the most of? You guessed it, the Travelers!

Now that you have your own list of heirloom seeds made out, go shopping. Depending on the variety, I try to buy all my seeds in bulk. I like to have at least several hundred seeds of each type in my bank at any one time. I will also add seeds throughout the early Spring as they become available and I also add some of my own seeds that I saved.

By saving seeds this way, you’ll soon find out that your survival seed bank grows quickly!

How To Make a Survival Seed Bank

Now let’s say that you have your survival seeds and you want to start your seed bank. I personally do not like to store seeds in the packets they come in, but I have done it without any ill effects. I normally put them into a plastic bag, put a label into the bag with the name of the plant and date I put them in and then vacuum seal the bag. Once I have a good variety of seeds, I will then store them in several manners.

My favorite way is to put all the vacuum packed seeds into a mylar bag and seal it. Once that bag is sealed, I then put it into a plastic bucket (2 gallon or larger) or a PVC pipe sealed at both ends (one end with a threaded cap seal).

Another way I store my seeds after I’ve vacuumed packed them is in a surplus ammo can with a good tight seal. These are normally seeds stored away from my home in remote locations that I can retrieve at a later date if I need them.

If this all seems over kill, just remember, moisture and air are your seeds enemy. Once your seeds get soaked, you’ll need to plant them right away or risk damage. Some may be okay by drying them quickly, but then again, you’re not generally around when your stored seeds become water logged!

Why Store Survival Seeds?

Many people question why anyone needs to store seeds for survival. If you find yourself asking this, you need to do some more research on hybrid seeds. I’ll just quickly give you my opinion here.

First, many genetically enhanced hybrid seeds produce great food. But I’m not real big on genetically enhanced anything and I prefer food from good ole heirloom seeds.

Some will argue that food from genetically enhanced food is not as good for you as food grown from heirloom seeds. I don’t know this to be true and have never read any hardcore evidence supporting this theory.

I know this to be true of many varieties. Heirloom seeds produced vegetables taste better than vegetables grown from hybrid seeds. This is true for Tomatoes, Melons, Corn and others.

Some also point out the controversy behind the so called Terminator Seeds or GURT seeds. These seeds are designed to be sterile and not reproduce. Although I can find nothing saying these seeds have ever been sold commercially, there’s always the thought in the back of some people’s mind.

So before you shell out big money for a survival seed bank or small packets of vacuum packed survival seeds, save yourself a lot of money and do it yourself. You’ll save money and come away with a lot more seeds for the money!

How Are Solar Generators Different From Traditional Solar Systems?

The main difference between a solar generator and a solar system is that the solar generator is generally more portable. Your standard solar generator will consist of solar panels, deep cell batteries and a converter/controller. This is a highly portable unit since the batteries and controller will generally be attached in a single unit.

The smaller of the solar generators will generally be capable of running things such as laptops, small fridges, microwaves, lights, etc. The larger units will power regular household appliances such as refrigerators and large TV’s.

In addition to the all-in-one controller/battery box, the solar generator obviously comes with a solar panel. This makes the entire unit very portable and is one reason this smaller systems are so popular with those living off the grid.

The traditional solar system is generally permanently mounted to either the home or a supports system. It’s not unusual to have an entire room to store huge industrial deep cell batteries with a controller costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Solar Generators?

Well, in my opinion, what some people may consider disadvantages of solar generators are another person advantages. Some people point out that solar generators are too small to power an entire home. In most cases they are correct. But you have to remember, solar generators are designed to supply emergency power when the main power goes out. Just like your gas powered generators.

Others point out the smaller batteries that most solar generators use. Again, this could be an advantage. These batteries generally last around 5 years or so and they are easily replaceable. If you’ve ever tried replacing the industrial sized batteries of a traditional solar system, then you’ll definitely see the advantage of the smaller batteries.

When used properly, I really don’t see any disadvantages of the smaller, portable solar generators unless you have several large appliances to run when the power goes out.

Gas vs Solar

When comparing a traditional gas powered generators to solar generators, there’s really no comparison at all. To run your gas powered generator, you’ll have to have a supply of gas. As stated earlier, if you have no electric after a natural disaster, chances are good that the store that carries gas will not have power to pump it. And let’s not forget about the price of gas these days!

Also, once your supply of gas runs out, you’re out of power.

With the solar generator, you’re able to store power for a few days if you plan well. A few days without sun light will not affect you unless you run to many appliances and fail to plan well.

When it’s all said and done, I feel a solar generator will be far more useful for supplying your home power after a natural disaster or blackout than a gas or diesel powered generators.

Have a Food Storage Plan. Work Your Plan

Yeah, I know the word ‘Plan’ is just about as bad as the word ‘Budget’ but having a food storage plan may save you from going hungry in a crisis. And it’s not that hard.

This is the way I work my food storage plan.

First up, I make sure I have 3 months of food on hand for short term emergencies. This is the normal food my family and I eat every day. I just make sure I have enough of it to last 3 months. You don’t need fancy or expensive freeze dried food for your 3 month plan. Most food on your Supermarket shelf has a life span of a few months. Just make sure you check the date before buying. Also keep in mind that once you open the container, the clock starts clicking on the shelf life of the food inside.

I rotate this food out, fist in, first out. Here’s just a sample of the things I put in my 3 month storage.

• Normal canned goods we eat on a regular basis, ie; Corn, Peas, Tomatoes, Soups, Stews, etc.
• Frozen foods such as Meat (bought on sale), vegetables, Jerky, Prepared Dinners (we fix up large meals of food like Gumbo, Stew, Pasta, etc and freeze the rest in meal size containers or bags).
• Flour, Sugar, Box of Salt, Spices
• Pasta, Pancake/Flour mixes
• Drink mixes, ie; Kool-Aid, Gatoraide, Coffee, Tea
• Cooking oil, Crisco
• Desert/Cake mixes

You get the idea. Stuff you normally eat, just buy more of. Don’t scrimp. Even if you think you’ve done well on your 3 month storage plans, put some more back. You never know when you’ll have unexpected company. Plus in stress situations, you’re likely to burn more calories and require more food.

Longer than 3 Months

If a crisis last longer than 3 months, you’ll soon find the weak spots in your plan. A crisis lasting longer than three months is a real crisis! This is where my long term storage plan comes into play.

For long term storage, we’re going to need food that stores well for long periods of time. This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised at how many people never look at the dates on their food.

Here’s a partial list of my long term food storage.

• Buckets of dried grain stored in sealed mylar bags, ie; Wheat, Beans, Rice, Corn, etc. Don’t forget to use oxygen absorbers and remember to have a grain mill on hand that will ground up Wheat as well as Beans and Corn. This has a shelf life of 10 years or more.
• Freeze dried food. I have a good supply of freeze dried food such as the Mountain House food that comes in #10 cans. This food varies from dinner entrees to powdered eggs and deserts. Shelf life on most is at least 15 to 20 years, sometimes longer.
• Canned goods. This is canned food like you’d buy at a Supermarket. Most canned goods will last at least a year and half, most last 2 years or more. This includes staples like vegetables, stews and fish.
• Home canned goods. This is stuff I’ve canned from our Garden. This has a shelf life of 2 years or more most of the time, depending on what it is that has been canned. We put up things like Corn, tomatoes, meats, stews, sauces, etc.
• MRE’s. Yeah, I have several cases of MRE’s. Most of these have a shelf life of 5 + years, most around 7 years or longer.

These items keep for a long time so I’m don’t have to worry about rotating them out for a while.

Variety Is The Spice of Life

This is really hammered home in a survival situation. I laugh every time I read some easy chair survivalist state that he/she has buckets and buckets of beans and rice stored up and that’s all they need. Hey, I love beans and rice also but after about a week, it’s going to get old real quick!

Instead, try to plan on storing a variety of foods to keep your meals interesting. As stated above, I put up a lot of ready to eat meals. Sometimes my Wife and I just don’t feel like cooking. It’s really nice to be able to take a bag of precooked food from the freezer and whip up a quick meal of Homemade Gumbo or Beef Stew.

Recently I found a site that has freeze dried food that contains deserts and mixes of all types. I bought some powdered pudding mix, brownie mix as well as cans of other sweet stuff. This goes in the long term pile because I already have the everyday mixes in my short term pile. These came in #2.5 and #10 cans and will keep years until opened!

The best thing you can do is write down everything on your short term storage and your long term storage. Then each week when you go to the store, but extra and mark it off your list. Read the dates and get the one furthest out. Many times if you’ll reach back in your stores shelves and get the cans or boxes at the very back, you’ll get the fresher food.

You should work on your short term storage about 75% of the time and buy stuff for your long term storage the remaining time (this is the plan I follow, your mileage may vary). This way you’re putting back for both. However, if you run out of your short term food inside of 3 months, you won’t hesitate to dive into your long term provisions. This should be avoided by making sure you have enough on hand. You can do this by writing down your food storage plans!

I kept the security portion of the plans I had for the home in mind as I worked on the home. It’s an older home and well built. If you’ve been around new home construction and then have ample opportunity to examine these older homes, the quality of homes built in the past quickly comes to the fore front as opposed to the “throw ‘em up overnight” homes of today. For this, I was glad!

Here’s where I made some changes to the home and the future plans I have for securit around the house.

Entry – Exit Doors

I first started by reinforcing the doors. I don’t know how many of you have actually tried to bust down a door, but it’s pretty darn easy these days. The hinges are generally held on by small (and sometimes short) wood screws. These will give way much faster than your deadbolt!

What I did was remove the entry/exit doors and replaced them with metal entry/exit doors from ThermaTru. Next I removed the old door frames and used some plate steel between the rough frame and the new door frame. The opening in the rough frame of this home is very tight, for which I was glad. I then measured where the hinge bolts would be located as well as the strike plates and drille holes where they needed to go. I then found some machine bolts that fit the hinges. these bolts go all the way through the door frame, plate steel and the rough frame and then a washer and nut are screwed down.

I also searched for, and found, some dead bolt locks on the Internet that would go through the door frame and the plate steel. Normally when a door is busted down, the dead bolt lock just barely goes pass the thin door frame itself. When the bust the door, the bolt on the dead bolt lock normally takes a hunk of door frame wood with it as it gives way.

Now if someone tries to bust down the door, they’ll be in for a surprise when it doesn’t give like everyone elses.

I then did all the bedroom doors this way. My way of thinking is that this may not stop an intrusion, but it will slow ‘em down until help can be called for (remember, we live on the outskirts of town) and the appropriate defensive action can be taken on my part (or my Wife’s).

Window Security

Windows. I thought about ordering those hurricane proof windows for our home. But there are a number of safety concerns surround such windows and I do not want to take those risk. Some of the concerns are that the glass will not break. Firefighters have had trouble gaining entry into homes with these windows, having to use chainsaws in order to get in. In case my Wife or daughter can not get out of the house in a fire or unlock the window for whatever reason, I don’t want them to be unable to pick up something and bust the window out.

Most window locks are made out of cheap cast aluminum. if you’ve ever had a stubborn lock to break while locking one, then you know how flimsy they are. I wanted something stronger. Also for fire safety, I passed on the little aluminum blocks with thumb screws that go on the edge of the window frame. I don’t want to be trying to get these things loose in case of a fire.

What I finally settled on were some locks called Safety 1st Pro Grade Window Locks. These locks have a red/green indicator telling you when they’re locked and when they’re not. Comes in handy for kids and the Wife. They take one look and can tell if the window is locked or not. They also operate with a push of a button. There’s no fumbling with cheap locks or trying to unscrew the clamp type locks.

Whole House Security System

Have you ever seen the commercial for a National Security Company? You know the one, the poor lady is home alone, or the Mom is home with the kids, and someone busts down the door. She screams, the alarm sounds and the bad guy runs away just as the Security Company is calling to see if they are alright.

Folks, it just doesn’t happen that way!

Every commercial Alarm company I’ve ever worked with have alarms that have at least a 60 second delay when triggered. This is so you’ll have time to arm the alarm and get out before it arms itself or, for you to come in and unarm the alarm when you get home.

Plus, when they do call you, after the 60 or so seconds, they’ll want you to provide them with a code. If you can’t do that, or provide them with the wrong code, then they will notify the authorities.

In the ten plus years I worked in the Inspection/Consultation field, I’ve set off a few alarms. Whether it was the County Sheriff’s Office or the City, the quickest a Cop showed up was 45 minutes after I set the alarm off. Some took an hour and half.

So don’t think that pricey alarm will save you. All it does is warn the Crook that someone may have been notified. A wise crook knows how long they have before Cops will show up or before an alarm will actually sound.

The reason I had a security system installed is so that when we’re away, someone will be notified in the event of a burglary or fire. If it wasn’t for that, I’d buy door and window alarms and be done with it.

Outside The Home

Take a good long look at the outside of your home. If you wanted to break in, where are the weak spots? Where do you think you could get in without being noticed?

Walk around your home. Look for any loose items someone could use to break a window or use to bash in your door. Iron patio furniture, flower pots, rocks, etc. can all be used to get inside your home. There’s a show on TV (or there was) called “It Takes A Thief”. It was about these two ex-thieves who would break into people’s homes to show them the weak points in their home security. Even when the homeowners knew they were coming, they couldn’t prevent these ex-crooks from breaking in.

It’s amazing the extent some crooks will go to in order to gain entry to your home. Make it as hard as possible by being aware and putting up tools, ladders and other items someone could use to get into your home.

I put motion sensing flood lights at each of my exit doors. If you have pets, you’ll need to adjust them so your pet doesn’t set them off, but where a human could.

Speaking of pets, if you have a pet door, it’s an invitation for a crook to come in and help their self. Get rid of it.

Also, a dog that barks at people is a great asset. Crooks hate barking dogs, especially if they think the dog will bite. Just make sure the dog doesn’t bark at anything that moves, like leaves, blades of grass or their own shadow. People tend to tune out habitual barking dogs.

Finally, I bought a security camera system off line and have it hooked up to an old computer of mine. It records images and even has a night vision mode so it can record in the dark. I have these viewing every door to the home. They really weren’t all that expensive either. I’ve seen some of these system with 2 or 3 camera’s on them for $200 or less (I paid quite a bit for mine due to upgrades like night vision capability).

Securing Valuable Items

You know, it doesn’t do any good for us to buy up supplies then have them taken by a crook.  For most of us, it will next to impossible to secure every valuable we have in a home. So we must decide on what items are most valuable to us and secure those.

This is where a good safe will come into play.

My Wife and I kicked around the idea of buying a safe. We finally decided that we needed one and so the search started for a good quality safe at an affordable price.

Of course my first choice would be a Fort Knox safe, but they are really pricey.

Although a home intrusion concerns me, a house fire concerns me more when thinking about a safe. I believe most safes will keep a crook at bay. Let’s face it, most burglaries are smash and grabs. For the most part, crooks aren’t going to hang around your home long enough to get the safe open, or even spend a lot of time trying. They’re after the easy score. That’s why they’re crooks!

My main concern was finding a home safe with a high fire rating. Most of the safes on the low end of the price range we looked at had a 1200 degree at 30 minutes fire rating. While at the high end, some of the Fort Knox safes had a 90 minute at 1680 degrees fire rating.

Which one would you want your valuables in in case of a break-in or fire?

Like I said above, Fort Knox safes are pricey!

The only other option I could think of was to buy one of the medium price ranged safes that had a 45 minute or better fire rating at 1200 degrees and then put our valuable papers in a document safe from Sentry Safe. The ones we’re looking into are the Sentry Fire chest which generally cost under $100. After we put our valuable documents in these safe boxes, it will then go into the large safe. This should give us plenty of fire protection for our paper.

Now the only thing I’d have to worry about is the fire getting hot enough to damage my guns and other items in the safe. Not sure how hot a house fire gets, but our Safe will be on an outside wall so I’m hoping it will be lower than 1200 after 30 minutes!

In conclusion

Like most of you, I work too damn hard to have my belongings stolen by some low life punk crook who doesn’t want to work and who would rather steel for a living. It’s my job to make it as hard as I can for them to get my stuff. They may get it, but it’s very likely they’ll pay a hefty price for it.

Our First Survival Steps At Becoming Self Reliant – Eliminating Debt

It’s my belief that one sure way to prepare for any upcoming disaster or global crisis is to be as self reliant as possible. This means carrying as little or no debt as possible. Back in 2005 we got on the Dave Ramsey plan to become debt free. Now we have very little debt. That we do have will be paid off this year. We have no credit cards. We both have debit cards and only use them rarely. It’s cash for us. I’ve heard all the excuses for having a credit card. None are valid. I’ve been able to do anything with my debit card that I was able to do with my credit card. Plus, you simply get better deals when paying with cash. Like it or not, people will bargain with you when you’re holding a wad of cash, even the big box stores.

Part of our long term plan is to leave as little paper trail as we can. That trail is getting smaller all the time. There may come a day when we don’t want to be found. Having debt and other recurring bills along with all the accounts that go with them can lead anyone to you door. Plus, when you have debt, you have to have some way to pay for it and most of the time that’s called a JOB! A JOB is something that most of you go to each day. You have to go back and forth on a predictable route and generally at a predetermined time. Just another reason to become debt free and learn to live using cash and bartering as a means to obtain what you need.

Also, when you’re in debt, you’re basically a slave to whomever you owe money to. Why would you want that for yourself and your family? Especially in this day and age when uncertainty abounds? Get out of debt and stay out of debt. If you need a solid plan, get Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. It will teach you what you need to know. Just a reminder though, it won’t work if you don’t work at it!

Survivalism Is All About Becoming Self Reliant

When you’re self reliant, which should mean you’re prepared for any number of emergencies, you can handle just about any situation that comes up. Think about it. If your home is ran off of Solar or Wind power or you have a generator large enough to run your home and there’s a power outage, you’re sitting pretty with electric while others go without.

Not only will you be prepared in case of an emergency, but when you use alternative energy sources, you’re cutting your electric bill and eliminating another trail to your door step.

I’m not there quite yet, not in my current home. But I have been able to do things that have cut my electricl bill down to 30 or so dollars per month. I also have two generators I could use in a pinch if I have to. One is propane and the other is diesel. I have a small solar set up that runs my shop and in the event we ever lose power in Summer, we’ll be sleeping in there because the little window A/C unit cools my shop nicely!

When we find the land to build our next home, it will be Solar and Wind Powered. If it’s a mile from the nearest electrical line, more the better!

Just as survivalism is more than being armed to the teeth in a hardened bunker, being self reliant means more than just living off the land growing your own food and using the Sun and Wind to power your home. To me, being self reliant means not having to depend on anyone, or any government, for my basic needs. This includes food, water, power, finances and security. I’d love to tell you that I’m there, but I’m not. I’m working on it, but it may take a few more years. But I will eventually get there and you can to.

Do You Really Need All That “Stuff”?

I’m constantly amazed at all the material things people think they “need” in order to survive. When I talk to people about becoming self reliant and the things people can do without, I get that funny look from them. I’ve seen people horrified at the thought of giving up their credit cards, their big homes, new vehicles, toys such as jet ski’s, boats, big screen HDTV’s, monster sound systems and other stuff. They simply can not think of life without these items!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you need to move to the backwoods and live in a one room cabin like a Hermit. I like my toys also, but mine are paid for. If I had to leave them in a hurry, I could and would never look back. Granted, leaving the nicer things in life would be harder on my Wife and Daughter than it would me, but they would handle it.

I’m also not saying you have to give these things up and live miserably. But if you’re in debt because of these things, you need to get rid of them until you’re debt free.

As I’m reading the ‘back to the Earth’ and self reliant magazines, I find it funny the things people think they need in order to ‘live off the land’. It’s like they think you need a half million dollars worth of stuff just to begin. Of course, some of this is the magazines fault as they need the advertisers of these overpriced and worthless ‘must have’ items. The editors and writers for those magaiznes have sold out for the almighty dollar and have forgotten why their type of magazines were started for in the first place.

You don’t need a $500,000 home and land to start. You can get started where you live right now, even if it’s an apartment in the middle of Manhatten. You don’t need 100 guns. A $200 shotgun is a good start. You don’t need a $40,000 tractor or Utility Vehicle. A wheel barrow, shovel and pick work nicely.

Becoming self reliant means letting go as much of the material stuff that is dragging you down as it means living a simple life without having to depend on  others for the basics of life.

If the current state of the Government, both Nationally and the World, has you concerned and you’ve been thinking about “starting” to become self reliant and preparing your family in case of a National or Global crisis, then I challenge you to start now by taking a good long look at your situation to see what you can start cutting out and being less reliable on others. You don’t have to do it all at once, but you do have to start!

Because, it is my opinion (and has been quite some time), there is no difference between a Survivalism, Emergency Preparedness or self reliance. There all the same thing!