Jonnycakes.

Hardtack.

These are all archaic foods you don’t hear much about anymore, except hardtack has made a comeback in survival circles. It’s now called pilot bread, and it’s a food you should consider including in your emergency kits and food storage pantry.

In this video I tell you all about pilot bread, and why I recommend it.

For recipe suggestions, click here.

© 2013, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by *Zoha.Nve

More than 20 years ago, I learned this tip from a roommate, and now I’m using it so my family always has a crisp, healthy salad. Now when my kids say they’re hungry, I say, “Go eat a salad!” For a main dish, we add whatever cooked meat is in the fridge, along with some cheese and hard boiled eggs.

Super quick and super easy because I only have to make a large salad every 7-10 days.

All you’ll need is a large bowl with a snap-on lid, 2 paper towels, and a salad.

© 2013, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by mbtrama

My daughter loves living in Phoenix because there are virtually no natural disasters that threaten us and other than extreme heat and occasional thunderstorms, the weather is pretty cooperative, too.

However, in our travels around the country, I’ve realized the importance of teaching my kids what to do in emergencies they might not encounter here at home. More than once, on trips to Disneyland, I’ve wondered what we would do if an earthquake occurred while we were in the middle of “It’s a Small World”. Would my kids know where to find shelter from a tornado or basic winter weather survival even though those events never occur here in Phoenix?

They might encounter any number of different situations while away from home, whether at a school or church event, camping trip or a resort vacation.  Regardless of the most likely disasters in your area, do your kids know how to stay safe in these situations?

• A flood, including flashfloods
• Earthquake and aftershocks
• Tornado
• A lightning storm
• Hurricane
• Ice storm
• Blizzard
• Heat wave
• Wildfires
• Dust storm, aka haboob
• Tsunami
• Avalanche

It would also be helpful as kids get older to learn the warning signs of any of these, so they have the chance to prepare, not just react.

Do some quick research online or in the appendix section of my book for survival tips that are easy to teach and easy to remember. A little education and a bit of planning goes a long way.

© 2013, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by (Blue Sky)

More Americans are either unemployed or under-employed than ever before in our history. If you or someone you love falls into this category, I have a really crazy tip for you.

As long as you’re staying at home doing nothing much, why not get in touch with professionals that you know and see if you can work for them as an unpaid apprentice, particularly if they are in the trades.

I’m serious!

Years ago when there was a work slow-down here in the Phoenix area, my husband began to get calls from men who had been laid off. Some had worked in technical fields and in all sorts of white-collar professions. More than one said to me, “I wish I had learned a trade way back when.”

My husband is an electrical contractor, and although he’s planning a career move, I’m so glad he has a skill that will always be needed. An old teacher colleague from my previous career once said, “Every woman should have a second or third way to earn an income,” and I’d say that applies to men as well.

There are so many trade skills out there, such as:

• tilework
• laying carpet
• carpentry
• installing cupboards, countertops, and more
• plumbing
• painting
• mechanic
• appliance repair and service
• HVAC
• masonry
• welders

You might have to start out by just keeping the job site neat and doing menial work, but you’ll have the chance to watch experts do their job and it’s inevitable that you’ll pick up information and skills along the way.

Like I said, this may sound crazy, but I also understand Newton’s First Law of Motion: “Every body continues in its state of rest…unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.” In other words, the longer you sit and do nothing, the longer you will sit and do nothing! That’s not good for anyone: man, woman or child.

So, consider tracking down a professional in one trade or another and asking if they would take you on as a temporary, unpaid apprentice. You’ll pick up some new skills that might translate into a whole new career.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Joelk75

Before the Era of the Cell Phone, I used to mentally make a note of locations around town where I could find help in case my car broke down or I found myself in some sort of trouble. As I drove through central Phoenix, I made a note that my best friend’s mother lived near 16th Street and Missouri and that a friend from college lived near Tower Plaza.

Recently at a survival expo I spoke with a woman who used a more technical term for my strategy. She called it, “multiple safety points.”  The concept makes a whole lot of sense, especially since so many of us moms are out there running errands and playing taxi driver for our kids. On any given day, we could be miles from home and miles from help.

Begin making a list of safety points where you and family members could find refuge and help in an emergency:

• churches that have offices open during business hours
• homes of family members and friends
• police and fire stations
• hospitals
• offices of organizations such as the Red Cross
• places of business where you are well known
• 24-hour retail stores or restaurants

You may just need a warm place to stay on a cold night if your car breaks down or perhaps somewhere safe to spend the night if the streets are flooded. If you find yourself separated from home by a riot or some other form of civil unrest, you make need a place to hunker down for a day or two until the worst has passed.

If you have a reliable GPS on your phone, enter these addresses and save them or print them out on a 3″x 5″ index card and laminate it. Make sure everyone in the family has a copy of this list and that older children (say 12 or 13 or older) know where to find refuge between their school and home, just in case.

Multiple safety points is a smart strategy even if the emergency is just a flat tire on a sunny day.

Can you suggest other safety points?

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Matthew Juzenas

Tonight we celebrated my sister’s birthday on a patio decorated with strings of lights. I commented to my husband, “I want strings of outdoor lights powered by solar.”

So, I tracked down string lights that are solar powered. They’ll provide outdoor lighting over a large area, such as a patio or a portion of a backyard. Sometimes you need larger spotlights or floodlights, but to illuminate a large area, these string lights will do the trick.

I’ve also seen string lights brought indoors and placed in large jars to serve as lanterns.

More and more, I’ve been adding to my stash of solar powered gadgets as well as small solar panels. In case of power outages, they’ll come in handy, and if we ever experience an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) or CME (coronal mass ejection), at least we’ll be able to have a few electronics, lights, and communication devices.

Always start with the simple, and for me, buying a couple of strands of solar string lights to be prepared for power outages is a great first step.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by foilman

“I thought I would share with you an idea that my family and close friends have had in place a number of years. We call it the “One word communication network”. Here’s the idea: What if you only had time to say one important word to your family, and it had to get that message to them quickly before communications were lost, for whatever reason?

If that word is given, my family and any close friends that receive it, whether by phone call, text, or in any other way, that one word would tell them to act immediately. This one word is only to be used in the most extreme emergency situation.

Our special word is, “jellyfish”. It runs on the same simple lines as if someone shouted, “Fire! You would jump into action immediately. I recommend choosing a word that wouldn’t ordinarily be a part of your conversation. Since we live in the desert, we would rarely have an occasion to discuss jellyfish!

Since texting has become a big thing with cellphones, we also have saved the text word, “jellyfish” into our phones. We pray that we will never have to act upon this One Word code message, but at least we have a plan and a signal in place.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Manchester Library

Years ago I was a champion coupon clipper. There was quite an adrenalin rush when the cashier said, “You’ve saved 70% today!” Wow! I would rush home with my bags of groceries and a receipt a mile long.

After a while, though, I began to notice that my cupboards were overflowing with processed foods. Yeah, we enjoyed the 10 bags of Chips Ahoy and all the sugary cereals, but I knew it wasn’t healthy. For the most part, I set couponing aside because I wanted my grocery dollars to go toward real, healthier foods. Once I started a food storage pantry, I realized those convenience foods generally had short shelf lives anyway.

Now that I’m stocking up on everything from ibuprofen to toilet paper to oatmeal, I’ve found that coupons can be most helpful with items that are non-foods. Recently, I came across some great coupons for shampoo, lip balm, and paper towels. Not only do we use these items and I know they won’t go to waste, but most of them can be stored without worrying about the effects of heat.

If you don’t get the newspaper and Sunday coupons, there are tons of great sites online with printable coupons. Here are just a few:

1. Coupon Mom
2. The Krazy Coupon Lady
3. Red Plum
4. Money Saving Mom

What are your favorite online coupon sites and how are you using coupons to be better prepared?

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

It’s that time again.  Kids and parents are hitting school supply stores and filling their carts with unblemished binders, unchewed pencils, and reams of notebook paper.  Prices on school supplies will never be lower.  Now is the time for you to think about which supplies might come in handy in your preparedness efforts.  Keep an eye out for store and manufacturers coupons for even greater savings.  These supplies, in particular, always come in handy.

• Binders are a great way to organize recipes using your food storage items, a SurvivalMom Binder, a Grab-n-Go Binder, school records, and much, much more.
• Sharpies and similar markers are extremely useful in 72 Hour Kits and stashed in the glove compartment of your car.  If you ever need to make a quick “GET HELP!” sign, you’re ready.
• Spiral notebooks — select different colors for each topic in your preparedness research, i.e. Home Security Ideas, Practical Skills I Need to Learn, Emergency Evacuation Routes, etc.  An added plus is that, unlike 3-ring binders, the pages in a spiral can never just fall out.
• Composition books can be purchased for a buck or so and come  in handy when taking notes, making lists, and keeping inventories.
• Notebook dividers are essential in any binder and can be purchased for just a few cents right now.
• Zippered, 3-ring pencil cases for holding small supplies in your binders.
• Inexpensive, lightweight backpacks.  Perfect for individual 72 Hour Kits and to keep in your vehicle in case you ever need to abandon it and need to carry supplies with you.
• Colored pencils, inexpensive coloring books, anything to keep kids entertained in a long car drive or evacuation.  Keep these stored in your Vehicle 72 Hour Kit.  I don’t recommend crayons because they make a melted mess in a hurry on hot days.
• Small pair of scissors.  Keep a pair in your Vehicle Kit, a pair with your sewing or knitting supplies, a set in your desk, and anywhere else you find yourself thinking, “Now where did I put those scissors?”

After you’ve stocked up on  your kids’ supplies, wander the aisles one more time, looking through the eyes of a SurvivalMom.  The prices are right, so stock up!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Muffet

I recommend the 2-liter bottle as a food storage must-have so often that people have asked, “How much soda do you drink,anyway??”

With super hot summer temperatures present across the country, combined with power outages, those wonderful 2-liter bottles come in handy yet again!

Get ready for the next heat wave by filling clean bottles with water and freezing. Here’s how they can help:

• Multiple bottles of frozen water in your freezer will help keep food frozen longer.
• When the power goes out, put a few of these bottles in the fridge to lower the temperature and prolong the life of food.
• An easy way to avoid opening the refrigerator door, and thus raising the temperature with each ‘open’, put 2 or 3 bottles of frozen water in an ice chest, add bottles of water, soda, fruit, etc. The smaller interior space will stay chilled longer than the larger refrigerator.
• If someone in the family is overheating, wrap several frozen bottles in towels and place them around their body to cool their core temperature.
• Float several of these bottles in a bathtub or smaller swimming pool to keep the water cool.
• As the water melts, the icy water is the perfect temperature for drinking or pouring over a small towel to place around the back of your neck.
• If you have livestock or pets, place frozen bottles in chicken coops, rabbit hutches, dog houses, etc.
• Place a couple of bottles directly in front of a fan (battery or generator powered). The air flow cools as it passes the ice.

If you’re short of space in your freezer, try placing a layer or two of these bottles in the very bottom where it’s harder to find frozen food anyway. You’ll have several bottles ready when you need them.

I’m not a soda drinker at all, but my husband loves his Coke Zero, so we have plenty of these empty bottles. If you don’t drink soda, buy a few bottles of club soda or sparkling water instead. Store brands sell for as little as 79 cents or so.

Stay cool out there!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.