The Survival Buzz #163

Here we are again with another Survival Buzz and an update on preps as wells and news and announcements.

I experienced a couple of prepping bloopers this week.  But first, on the positive side, I put some chocolate kisses into a “time capsule” that will not get opened for two years.  The idea is to see if chocolate can be stored for the long term.

I put the chocolate kisses in a mason jar with an O2 absorber, then sealed it with my Food Saver jar attachment.  A year from now, I will break the seal, try to eat just one or two, then seal it up for another year.  I used chocolate kisses because they are individually wrapped and relatively inexpensive.  Speaking of which, Amazon has a great deal going right now; a huge bag of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses for $7.88.

Blooper wise, I opened a new package of BIC lighters that had been sitting in storage for awhile and the first one out of the pack did not work.  Moral of the story?  Have spares (I do) but even for something as ubiquitous as a BIC, test your preps.  I should know better but come on, it was a BIC and they always work.

The huge disappointment is that I got my supplies together and set everything up to create some “survival straws” to share in a DIY on the blog.  For those of you that do not know what a survival straw is, it is a fat drinking straw stuffed with preps of one sort or another.  After stuffing your item of choice inside the straw, you cut it down to size then seal the ends with a lighter or other type of flame.  The end result, if all goes well, is a nice little packet of fire starter, matches, Tylenol, salve, salt, sugar, meds you name it.

I tried.  I really did.

Huge fail – for me at least.  I simply could not get the ends to seal and believe me, I tried.  I used a different BIC lighter, one of those butane wands, and even a hair iron.  The straw either crumbled up and burned or it failed to seal.

I have watched at least 5 or 6 of those YouTube videos on making survival straws and feel pretty stupid and frustrated for not getting it.  Have you made some?  If you have, please tell me how you did it or even better, send over some directions and a photo.  I will be grateful

Other preps included making up a refill batch of DIY laundry soap.  If you have not tried it, you should.  This is one of the easiest ways to save a bunch of money.  Have you seen the prices of laundry detergent lately?

That about covers it for me this week.  I am going to keep things short today because I need to crack open my Tech License Study Guide so I am ready for the HAM radio licensing test on the 18th.

Current Giveaways

Here are this week’s giveaways.

Review: Inflatable Solar Air Lantern for Emergencies + Giveaway (10 Winners!!)

Prepper Book Festival 8: The Survival Savvy Family + Giveaway

Remember, the deadline for all giveaway entries is 6:00 PM Pacific on Tuesdays.

In addition, all winners are notified by email and have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate will be selected.  Once selected, the names of winners are also displayed in the Rafflecopter on the original giveaway article.  This usually happens on the Friday following the end of the giveaway.

The Home Grown Food Summit Starts This Week

The 2015 Home Grown Food Summit begins on April 6th and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait.  Given my own love/hate relationship with my garden, I need all of the help that I can get.

Register the Free Online Home Grown Food Summit

The way it will work is that you can watch all of the presentations or just those that interest you – the choice is yours.  From what I understand, each day there will be 4 or 5 presentations available starting a 9AM Eastern time.  The daily presentations will be live for a full 24 hours so you can watch them anytime you want during the 24 hour period.

Although the Summit is 100% free, if you can’t attend some or all of the free presentations (or you would like to have them to refer to any time you want), they are being offered at a special 30% off pre-sale rate until Sunday April 5th at midnight.  Read more about it and get this special offer here:  2015 HGFS Digital Pre-Sale Offer.

Essential Oils: Tip of the Week

Peppermint essential oil is one of the core oils to have on hand and of course, it is one of the ingredients in my DIY Healing Salve.  I thought you might be interested in three other ways to incorporate Peppermint essential oil into your routine.

1. Excellent for staying alert while driving.  Keep a bottle of Peppermint close by for those times you become sleepy while driving. Inhale it ~ rub it on the back of your neck (roller bottle would be great for this), or drop 2 drops on your floorboard so that the aroma continues to drift up and around you.

2. At the first sign of a pressure headache, apply a few drops to the temples and the back of your neck.  Be mindful not to get it near your eyes, however.

3. Preparing for a test, a job interview, or just need to simply wake up for the midday slump?  Keep a small 5 ml bottle of Peppermint in your pocket and inhale straight from the bottle for an immediate pick me up.

There are more ideas here:  The Miracle of Peppermint Oil: 20 Practical Uses for Survival

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If you had your eye on a diffuser, Spark Naturals just came up with a surprise “Easter” sale.  All ’diffusers are 10% off through April 5th.  Couple that with coupon code BACKDOORSURVIVAL and you will get 20% off.

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Other Announcements

A warm welcome to our newest sponsor, Proforce Equipment Inc. They have a huge assortment of survival and prepping gear, including Aquatabs.  Be sure to visit them as well as the other sponsors that allow me to keep Backdoor Survival free for everyone.

The Final Word

That’s a wrap for this week.  Over to you – what did you do to prep this week?

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

If you enjoyed this article, consider voting for me daily at Top Prepper Websites!  In addition, SUBSCRIBE to email updates  and receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

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The Survival Buzz ALMOST FREE Department

This week I feature the newest book in Ron Brown’s series on non-electric lighting.  It was just released in eBook format for and promises to deliver tons of useful lighting information for a mere 99 cents.

If you already own kerosene lamps or plan to get some (new or used) for survival purposes, you will want this book for the advice Ron shares on using and maintaining your lamps.

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Bargain Bin:  Here are items related to today’s article plus a few classic favorites.

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses Party Bag:  Here they are, at a bargain price to boot.  These are milk chocolate.  For those purple candies you see in the photo, you want these:  Hershey’s Kisses – Special Dark Chocolate.

Holding tight after being sealed with the FS Jar Attachment

FoodSaver Wide Mouth Jar Sealer: Have a FoodSaver? If so, check out this jar sealer which can be used to vacuum seal your Mason jars. This is a great option for short to mid term storage of items such as beans, rice, sugar and salt. Add an oxygen absorber and your jars will be good for long term storage as well.  Store your jars in a cool, dark place and you are set with the added advantage of removing a small amount for current use without having to disrupt your large Mylar bag or bucket of food.  There is also a version for regular sized jars.

100-Pack Oxygen Absorber, 100cc:  I always have these available.  At less than 10 cents each, I consider adding a 100 cc oxygen absorber to a mason jar is cheap insurance that ensures that my vacuum sealed food will remain nice and fresh – even five years later.

BIC Classic Lighters (12): A dozen full size BIC lighters at a bargain price with free shipping. Don’t forget to test them to ensure they work! Yes, all of them!!

Peppermint Essential Oil:  One of my faves from Spark Naturals.  Remember, you get an additional 10% off using coupon code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter:  The LifeStraw is considered the most advanced, compact, ultra light personal water filter available. It contains no chemicals or iodinated resin, no batteries and no moving parts to break or wear out.  It weighs only 2oz. making it perfect for the prepper. There is also a larger sized LifeStraw Family currently available with free shipping.

Coghlans Waterproof Matches 10-pack: There are 10 boxes of 40 matches each for about $5.  That is a good deal for 400 waterproof matches.

Morakniv Craftline Q Allround Fixed Blade Utility Knife: FAVORITE! Also known as the Mora 511, this is now my favorite knife. It is made of Swedish steel and is super sharp.  Many Backdoor Survival have emailed me indicating this is now their favorite knife too. I paid $12 for this knife; it was worth $12 and of course is a steal at under $9.

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials

April is STOCK UP month at Emergency Essentials with most products discounted when purchased in bulk.  Fruits are discounted up to 61% off, veggies up to 55% off, dairy up to 58% off, and meats up to 59% off.

Emergency Essentials Stock Up Sale

Emergency Food Buckets are also on sale.  All told, this month the sales at Emergency Essential are a real win!

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Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has a feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are.  All you need to do is select the category from the left hand side of the screen.

The Amazon Top Most Wished For and Best Selling Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon Gift Cards

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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