The Survival Buzz #165

Welcome to this week’s Survival Buzz with an update on my own preps and announcements from the Backdoor Survival blog.

The big day is here and as you are reading this, I am probably sweating bullets as I take my Ham Technician License test.  I have taken a lot of practice exams – oh, say 40 or 50 times – and am passing with scores of 30 and 31 out of 35 but still, you just never know.

So, as I write this I am stressed and need to study more so I will keep today’s Buzz brief.

First, for those who asked, I am sharing a DIY on making your own facial wipes.  At first I used them as makeup remover wipes, but over the last week, Shelly has been using them on his face (and bald head) as well.  One thing for sure, they are very refreshing leave you skin feeling nice, regardless of gender.

Beyond Prepping: DIY Facial Wipes

These are so darn easy and so much nicer that purchased wipes that I am chiding myself for not trying these sooner.  There is some cost to the ingredients but chances are you have all except, perhaps, the cotton rounds already.

Here is what you need to make up a small, 4 ounce jar similar to the one pictured above.

Ingredients
1/4 cup warm water
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap (I used Dr. Bronner’s Rose)
1/2 tablespoon fractionated (liquid) coconut oil (like this)
4 drops essential oils of choice (I used lavender and ylang ylang)
Round cotton pads

Directions
Mix all of the ingredients except for the cotton pads in measuring cup.  Set the cup aside.

Take a stack of cotton pads and put them in the jar.  Fill the jar to the top then scrunch them down and add a few more.

Pour the wet ingredients over the cotton pads then put a lid on your container.  It takes a few minutes but they will soak up the liquid.  To ensure that all of the pads are evenly soaked, let them sit for 30 minutes then turn your tightly capped container upside down for 30 minutes.

That’s it.  When you are ready to take off makeup (or wipe down a sweaty, grimy face), remove a pad and use it to clean things up.  The coconut oil ensures that you face stays nice and moist.  The essential oils add skin healing properties plus fragrance.

I like making this up in small batches because the small jars fit nicely in a drawer but this DIY can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled..

I have created a printable of the DIY Facial Wipes recipe for you (nothing fancy and fingers crossed that it works!).

Up next?  I want to try using the same formula, but in a larger quantity, to make some body wipes using cut up washcloths or microfiber cloths.  I also need to make some up using my DIY liquid castile soap.  If you beat me to it, be sure to let me know how it works out.

Vegetable Growing Guide

The folks at www.anglianhome.co.uk have created a fantastic gardening graphic that I just had to share.  I don’t usually like to post Infographics but this one is just too good to pass up.

Not only that, you can download a printable version as well.  I printed mine out on 2 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper and also sent it to my iPad.  Enjoy!

Current Giveaways

Ready for some giveaways?  The following two giveaways are currently accepting entries.

Review: Life Pod Paracord Survival Kit + Giveaway

Prepper Book Festival 8: After the Crumble + 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 Final Word

Other news from me personally is that with a sense of the bittersweet, I am transitioning away from two long term accounting clients.  These clients have been with me for over 15 years so this was a very difficult decision.

But you know how I preach living life in spite of it all?  Backdoor Survival is more than a full time job these days, and I was finding myself sitting in front of a computer upwards of 12 hours a day so that I could get my work done.  It was too much and I had little time for myself.

I still have a few more clients to go but hope to be fully retired from my accounting practice by the end of June or July.  Fingers crossed.

So what about 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.

Bargain Bin:  Here are items related to today’s article and a few other favorites.  You can always use another flashlight, right?

Dr. Bronner’s Fair Trade & Organic Castile Liquid Soap: These come in a mind boggling array of scents and also unscented.  For the face, I would stay away from peppermint and go with one of the less pungent soaps.  Lavender would be nice.

Fractionated Coconut Oil (Liquid) 16 oz – with Pump:  I have been very happy with this brand of FCO.  Mine did not come with a pump, though.  A little goes a long way so this will last a long time.  (I am still on my first bottle.)

Swisspers Premium Exfoliating Cotton Rounds, 80 Count:  If you live in an urban area, you will likely find these at your local dollar store.  I had to purchase mine online.

Spark Naturals Essential Oils:  I use essential oils from Spark Naturals.  For healing purposes, I feel they are superior.  A good place to start is with Lavender EO.  On the other hand, NOW Foods has decent essential oils at a  budget price:  NOW Foods Rosemary Oil, NOW Foods Peppermint Oil and Now Foods Lavender Oil are especially nice.

Note:  Enjoy a 10% discount at Spark Naturals using discount code BACKDOOR SURVIVAL.

Dorcy LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: Don’t let the $20 price lead you to think this wireless flood light is wimpy. I have two of these and feel that these lights are worth double the price.  Using D-cell batteries, the Dorcy floodlight will light up a dark room or a dark stairway in an instant.  I can not recommend these enough.

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.

FordEx Group 300lm Mini Cree Led Flashlight: You already know this, along with the Blocklite,  is my favorite portable flashlight.  At the time of this writing, this one is about $4.00 with free shipping.  It is super mini sized, bright and waterproof.  Plus, it uses a single, standard AA sized battery. Pictured is one that I own in green but they come in basic black as well as some other colors.

Blocklite Ultra Bright 9V LED Flashlight: I now own six of these little gems. There is a similar flashlight called the Pak-Lite (which is more expensive) but it does not have a high-low switch like this one. Less than $8. These little flashlights just go and go, plus, they make good use of those re-purposed 9V alkaline batteries that you have recharged with your Maximal Power FC999 Universal Battery Charger.

Bicycle Canasta Games Playing Cards:  This timeless classic will keep the entire family occupied when the power it out.  Playing cards or board games should be in everyone’s preparedness pantry.

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