Preparedness Planning Advice - 3 Tips Dear Friends, Recently, I received a letter from a new customer, Tammy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She told me she got my address from a longtime loyal customer after she had caught "the preparedness bug," as she put it. Tammy went on to say that her family had put off preparedness for years - despite knowing it was something they wanted and needed to do. Now, they felt overwhelmed because they wanted to make up for lost time, and fast. Tammy said they were committed, but there was one problem - money. In this...

3 Reasons to Grow a Preparedness Garden A few days ago, as we turned over a new month, my mind turned to gardening.   I know it's only February and many of us - including myself - can barely see the ground through the snow. But when I look out on my property, I only see potential.   In fact, I'm already planning to set up some cold-frames and another greenhouse to increase my food production during next winter. Yes, even in the mountains of northern Idaho, it's possible to grow food year round.   So, how's your garden coming...

3 Preparedness Lessons I Learned from Snow Storms If you've been following the news lately, what was once a mild winter has turned into a string of storms spread across the country.   I could repeat the scary facts and figures or dwell on the damage caused, but that's not why I'm writing you today. I've learned better than that - there's a better way to react and I encourage you to follow my lead.   You see, every year, when the first winter storm hits the headlines, I'm reminded of everything I've learned about preparedness and why I founded...

Food Prices on The Rise Again Last week, I updated you on my on-going battle with our food suppliers over cost increases for 2016. They're afraid of rising food costs just like everyone else and told me they need to up their prices. Since then, I've spent hours on the phone trying to change their minds. Unfortunately, our growers and other suppliers simply aren't budging. They have their own reasons, and I have to respect that.The droughts that have plagued this country over the past couple years have increased everyone's food prices across the board. So I had a tough...

Food Prices on The Rise Again I'm sure you've seen similar headlines a lot lately. I decided to do some digging and get to the bottom of it all. Depending on where you look, the "experts" might tell you we're experiencing average food price inflation, others might say we're seeing extreme inflation. Since I don't have a degree in economics, it's hard to tell who's telling the truth. Of course, I have my own theory, which I'll share little later. However, I don't need a theory to know how we're all feeling. Our food bills keep growing and I hear...

Important Things You Need To Know This Week I had originally intended to send out a quick note wishing everyone a Happy New Year and sharing some of our New Year's Resolutions. However, the events that have unfolded this week have led me to an entirely different type of message. I feel an obligation to address how these events are going to impact you and the preparedness world in general. Just four trading days into the New Year 1.6 trillion dollars in market value has been destroyed, according to the S&P Global 1200 report that was just released. Most of...

Opposable Thumbs? There's More... There is one peculiar thing that sets us apart from every other species on this planet. Most scientists would say it's our opposable thumbs. Some religious leaders would argue it's the existence of a soul. But I think there's something entirely different that sets us apart. I'll give you my theory below, but first I want to share something personal with you. Recently, I had a birthday. It seems like each year I'm blessed to walk this earth, I'm forced to face my own mortality more and more. Taking a flight of stairs isn't as easy...

Christmas Riots? The History of "Merry Christmas" Around here, we're not afraid of being politically incorrect. Apparently, the PC police would have you believe that saying "Happy Holidays" is the only appropriate greeting for this time of year. Everything else is "banned". You may have noticed by now that we're not shying away from saying "Merry Christmas", and we have a good reason to stand up for our right to do so. More on that a little later. First, let's take a little look at the history of Christmas in America, dating back before the Revolution. From 1659 to 1681,...

What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor? You might recognize the line - it’s from a sea shanty tune sung on old military vessels by the crew as they worked. So, what do you do with a drunken sailor? One of the proposed solutions of the song is to “...shave his belly with a rusty razor.” I propose something a little different: thank him. I had better explain myself before I’m accused of hitting the sauce. You see, in Colonial America, we loved our alcohol. Back then we believed alcohol could cure the sick and make strong those who...

PATRIOTS EATING DOG FOOD? READ THIS SPECIAL REPORT... I've finally decided to share another little known secret of the food storage industry. One that likely will result in me getting nasty letters from some of my competitors. Some of whom are people I personally know. But the truth needs to be said! The secret that the preparedness industry - and indeed the food industry in general - doesn't want you to know is that there are three major classifications for food ingredients. 1.    Fresh Produce 2.    Rejeced from fresh, assigned to dry goods 3.    Rejected from dry goods   The...